Stobart trip is first prize
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• A Leicester housewife who could have gone anywhere in Europe but opted for a trip to visit Eddie Stobart's Carlisle headquarters was awarded the prize on BBC1's Noel's House Party, even though she didn't actually win it.
Noel Edmonds was so impressed by her dedication to the haulage firm that he insisted on giving her the prize anyway.
Within seconds of her appearance on the show, Jean West was whisked away to a
waiting Eddie Stobart lorry.
Driver Jonathan Barker says: "After showing her the lorry, I took Jean for a short drive at the television studio and she was thrilled." He had driven down from Carlisle especially for the TV show.
Barker adds: "There are more than 22,000 members of the Eddie Stobart fan club, but I'm sure Jean is one of our most enthusiastic fans. We're planning to have a new truck, which will be named Jean in honour of her memorable day." Jean's interest in the company stemmed from her living near its Crick depot in Northamptonshire.
The Stobart driver and his truck, named Kerry Jane, became something of a celebrity themselves: "I suddenly became more of a hit with the staff at the BBC than the stars themselves," he says. "Noel Edmonds had a look round the truck after the show and was intrigued."