An Aberdeenshire student was left “very excited” after getting the keys to a brand new Vauxhall Corsa in a charity raffle.
Nicole Anderson had given up all hope of winning the car, which was being given away to raise money for North East Sensory Services, after mistakenly thinking the draw had already taken place and she had been unsuccessful.
The 21-year-old management and HR student at the Robert Gordon University was shocked when she heard her name had been pulled from the hat by former Dons captain Russell Anderson last week.
The charity staged the 4000-one raffle to generate funds for the thousands of people it supports across the north-east who have sight or hearing loss.
Ness is the second-oldest charity in operation in Aberdeen, with additional bases in Elgin and Dundee, and will celebrate its 140th anniversary next month.
Miss Anderson picked up the keys for her new white Corsa from Jim Reid Car Sales in Kintore on Saturday morning.
And she admitted she has already sold her previous motor, a Seat Ibiza, to make room for the hatchback in her driveway.
“I was shocked because I thought the draw had already been done, so I wasn’t expecting it,” she said.
“This will help me get through university – I live between Inverurie and Kintore so it’s a long drive every day and it’s good to know I’ll have a reliable car to get about in.”
Miss Anderson added: “The way I saw it, it was silly not to enter – even if I didn’t win the car, I’d have done something good for charity.”
Graham Findlay, Ness chief executive, said: “We are delighted that Nicole has won the car and I hope she enjoys driving it for many years to come.
“The income from the raffle will go towards supporting our charity-funded services which support more than 6,300 blind and deaf people from across the north-east.
“Ness is in its 140th year and we are proud of the impact our services have had over such a long time.
“We want to thank the people of the north-east for continuing to support our work.”