A RETIRED couple are buying tickets to fly their family from all over the world to their French home for Christmas after winning a competition.

Andrea Hodgson, 78, and her husband Richard, 76, who are originally from Frilford, near Abingdon, will spend thousands of pounds to reunite with their loved ones.

The pensioners are hoping to buy tickets for their daughter’s family from South Africa, their son’s family from the UK, and Mrs Hodgson’s brother from New York, for a big festive family reunion.

They decided to splash out after winning £15,000 last month in a pay-to-enter competition run by a company called Best Of The Best (BOTB) after answering a film and TV question on its website.

Since winning the cash, the couple have decided to permanently leave their Oxfordshire home and moved to their holiday home in the south of France to enjoy their retirement.

Mrs Hodgson, wo entered the competition, said: “I cannot remember the last time we would all have been together for Christmas, and what a year for us to be able to all get together.

“All of us will have had a tough year due to the pandemic, and it will be wonderful for us to be able to spend quality time together over Christmas.

“Of course we will have to see what happens, but we cannot think of a better way to spend our winnings than bringing our family together again.”

Mrs Hodgson also explained that the family was not able to celebrate the holidays with their children last year because her husband fell ill.

The 78-year-old added: “We did not see anybody during the holidays and we spent Christmas all on our own.

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“So, we did promise ourselves that this year we will have a really nice time with the family.”

BOTB presenter Christian Williams has been surprising competition entrants weekly all over the world, and said he was thrilled to be able to deliver the good news.

He said: “Many people all over the world are missing their families during the pandemic, and hopefully Andrea and Richard will be able to get together with their close ones for the Christmas holidays.

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“It has been an incredibly long time since the family were all together and for us to be able to award them the money to make it happen is brilliant.”

Since being founded in 1999 by William Hindmarch, the business has given away over £32m worth of prizes.