Hotel competition reunites Northampton military family with all-expenses-paid weekend

Daisy Lancey, her husband and their daughter Betsy, from Northampton, have been named one of the winners receiving a one night's stay at The Welcombe in Stratford-upon-Avon.

They won the Welcome Home nationwide competition run by Hallmark Hotels to find distant and deserving families in need of quality time together.

Daisy said: “My husband and I have over 20 years military experience between us, therefore we are used to being away from each other, which is hard for any family.

"So the Welcome Home competition came at the right time, as we have just welcomed a new addition to the family, baby Betsy.

“Having the opportunity to spend the weekend with my new family and all expenses paid seemed too good an opportunity to miss out on. We are beyond excited to have won and are looking forward to the trip.”

Located just a short distance from Shakespeare’s birthplace, The Welcombe will offer the winning family a one night’s stay, complete with bed, breakfast, and an evening meal.

Head of Marketing at Hallmark Hotels, Debbie Neate said: “We are thrilled to announce Daisy and family as one of our winners, after some fantastic and deserving entries from across the country. Families were asked to enter themselves and explain why they wanted to come together and spend quality time. Initially, we were only going to present one top prize, but after receiving Daisy’s entertaining video entry, and hearing of the distance she has spent away from her husband due to military commitments, our judging panel decided to extend the prize offering to Daisy to enjoy a weekend away.

“Hallmark Hotels prides itself on creating a ‘home away from home’ and we launched the campaign to offer a warm welcome to those who would really benefit from some quality time together. We look forward to having Daisy and her family stay with us at our idyllic Stratford-Upon-Avon hotel.”