A COUPLE who thought their prize draw win was a practical joke were still pinching themselves when they made the trip to collect their new car at the weekend.

Robert and Sandra Kreutzer-Brett bought the winning ticket in the Richmond Georgian Theatre Royal's prize draw some time ago and had forgotten all about it.

So, when the organisers telephoned them to inform them of their early Christmas present, Sandra admitted that she thought it was a wind-up.

"We always support the theatre whenever we can so, when the tickets were offered to us, we bought them as a donation without thinking very much about what the prizes were,'' she said yesterday.

"It was only when we found the stubs that we realised we had really won a car, which has been so exciting just before Christmas."

The couple - who run a small care home near Ripon, in North Yorkshire - were presented with the Vauxhall Corsa at Sherwoods, of Darlington, on Saturday, before facing a daunting journey home in driving snow.

However, Sandra said: "The conditions were bad but the car dealt with them fantastically.

"I was pleased before, but even more thrilled after driving it."

The grand prize draw, which also boasted a limited edition print by Middlesbrough-born artist Mackenzie Thorpe as a second prize, has raised an estimated £5,000 towards the Georgian Theatre Royal's restoration appeal.

Work starts on the £1.1m project next month following confirmation of a £668,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.