#Winner

I've just won a competition (I know!)

We've attended CarFest North, the Chris Evans-fronted family festival, for the last few years and have tickets to return in July.

They've been running a competition for past attendees to share their stories and pictures in the quest for a goodie-bag.  And I've just been declared the week 2 winner!  Needless to say I'm dead excited (such moments are few and far between when you're 47).

My story was as follows:

"Last year my wife Vanessa and I took our 9-year-old son Jamie and 7-year-old daughter Charlotte to CarFest North for the fourth successive year.  We've always had a great time but something particularly special happened at the 2018 event. 

"Jamie had started learning the guitar and I told him all about Status Quo - the first band I ever saw live in concert back in 1986 – who were booked to play CarFest North. 

"When they came on stage, Jamie was loving their performance and was bouncing up and down in the front row, to the delight/amusement of seasoned Quo fans around us. Someone else who noticed Jamie was the band’s rhythm guitar player, Richie Malone, who came across to our side of the stage to acknowledge Jamie’s enthusiasm.

"At the end of one song, he pointed at Jamie and threw his plectrum towards my son. It landed just in front of us but someone else tried to claim it. The crowd in the immediate vicinity quickly made clear that it was meant for Jamie and the plectrum was happily handed over, allowing Jamie to wave it back at Richie to say thanks. He now has it mounted in his bedroom together with a picture of Richie taken during that performance. 

"Jamie’s guitar playing has really taken off since then and we’ve got tickets to see Status Quo play in Leeds later this year. It’s all thanks to CarFest North and, as a family, we can’t wait to return to Bolesworth Castle once again in July!"

Cringey, I know, but true nonetheless.

I'm now off for a celebratory snifter to the sounds of Status Quo.