WHEN Donna Maguire heard she and her partner had won a weekend break in a major European city she was delighted.

But Donna, from Newton Aycliffe, soon realised she would have to face up to her greatest fear after learning they had won a romantic trip to Venice.

That is because Donna, 30, cannot swim and is terrified of water.

Her partner, Anthony Archer, 39, won the prize after being entered in a free prize draw when he registered for the HSBC TV Banking service.

The couple were given a long weekend in Venice, staying in a five star hotel in St Mark's Square, in the heart of the city.

Donna said: "It's not somewhere we would have ever paid to go to on holiday, but this was the chance to have the trip of a lifetime.

"We were over the moon. It was something you always hear about other people winning, but it is not something that happens to yourself."

Donna's water phobia was put to the test as soon as the couple arrived in the Italian city.

She said: "We had to spend about 45 minutes in a water taxi to actually get to the hotel and I was clinging to the sides."

Having got over that ordeal, the couple enjoyed a wonderful weekend, although Donna said: "I definitely didn't go on a gondola."

The couple, who live in Morton Walk, enjoyed the holiday so much that they are planning to return sometime after the birth of their first child, which is due in September.