61-year-old, Michael Garner, from Gorseinon has won £500, towards his Christmas shopping, thanks to the Quadrant Shopping Centre in Swansea.
The Big £500 Giveaway asked the people of Swansea to nominate who they thought would be most deserving of the prize. Over a period of two weeks, the Centre received 195 nominations, with Michael’s story being chosen as winner.
Chosen by a panel of judges made up of Quadrant staff, Michael’s nomination by his wife, Susan, stood out as it detailed a difficult period they’ve faced over the last few years, with Michael fighting neck and throat cancer that has left him unable to taste food, and facing further health challenges.
Speaking of his competition win, Michael Garner, said:
“It’s a bit of a shock. I didn’t know my wife had entered it, I heard her talking on the phone when she was told we’d won and I thought ‘what’s she done?’. Really it shouldn’t be me nominated, it should be my wife, not only was she looking after me, but she was also looking after her own father. She was marvellous through all of it.
“It’s a lovely surprise and has changed our Christmas. We’ll be able to buy things that we didn’t think we were going to buy so it’s really helped.”
Michael’s wife, Susan, added: “I nominated my husband because of everything he’s been through, I thought he deserved it. He’s my hero, really.
“I didn’t think we’d be in with a chance of winning but then the phone call came. This means everything, it’s the best Christmas present.”
In addition to the big £500 prize winner, the panel of judges also chose a runner-up who won £150 to spend at the Quadrant. Rebecca Thorpe nominated her dad, Stephen Davies, following a difficult year. Her nomination included that: “Although he has suffered himself, he just keeps carrying on.”
Commenting on both winners, Jane White, from the owners of Quadrant Shopping Centre, Centurion, said:“We were completely in awe of not just the number of nominations that came flooding in when we launched the competition at the beginning of December, but also the stories of local people who submitted entries. As a community-led shopping centre, it’s important to us to help give back, especially at this time of year, when it means so much to so many people.
“Our panel of judges had an extremely difficult task of narrowing down all of the incredible entries to just a handful, of which Michael was chosen as the winner. Having met Michael and his wife Susan, who nominated him, today, we’re so pleased to have been able to help brighten up their Christmas this year.”
