A MOTHER has another reason to look forward to a holiday, after winning £1,000 spending money for the trip.

Lea Atkinson was entered into a prize draw when she booked her holiday to Portugal at Hays Travel, in Sedgefield.

The nurse and mother-of-two, from Trimdon, will share the prize with friend, Jenny Partridge, and her family, as they will be travelling together.

Mrs Atkinson: "I just can't believe I won that much money. When we were booking the holiday and filling in our competition forms, Jenny and I joked that we would split it two ways if either of us won, never dreaming that it would happen.

"I was over the moon when I found out I'd won. It couldn't have come at a better time.

"I'm coming to the end of my maternity leave, so it was a big relief to know our spending money was taken care of."