A single dad from Horwich got a festive surprise on Saturday when he won five thousand pounds at his annual staff Christmas party.
Stephen Roach, Sales Executive for online electricals retailer AO.com, won the incredible sum after his name was drawn at random during a giveaway that was hosted by CEO, John Roberts.
Having worked for the retailer for over a decade, this is not the first time Stephen has attended the AO Christmas party, but he has never won anything of this magnitude and after a difficult 18 months for him and his family, the unexpected win has come at the perfect time.
Stephen, who is a single father to five daughters, will be using the money to complete repairs on his home that were put off due to the pandemic and with Christmas just around the corner, some of the cash will be used to give his daughters the magical day they deserve.
After finding out he was the lucky winner of the top prize, Stephen and his colleagues celebrated in style. He said: “When I found out that I had won I could not believe it, I was so happy that I jumped off the stage and started crowd surfing. It was amazing and my whole team were so happy for me because they know what I have been through over the last 18 months.”
Stephen won’t be telling his daughters about his win so that all five of them are surprised when they wake up on Christmas morning to everything they asked for this year, and he is already looking forward to having a fresh start in the New Year. He said: “The money really has helped me change my life and I already feel so much better within myself. I have a lot of positivity going into 2023.”
John Roberts, CEO and Founder of AO, said: “Our AO Christmas Party is legendary and the highlight of everyone’s year. We pride ourselves on creating magic in the moments that matter for our customers every day but this is one special evening when we get to share that magic with our AOers. Stephen is such a worthy winner and it’s mega that the money will make such a big difference to him and his daughters.”
Held at the Point in Lancashire County Cricket Club, the annual AO Christmas Party is a no-expense spared event that’s free for all AO staff. It featured live music from Rick Parfitt Jr’s RPJ Band, a DJ, ball pool, stilt walkers, fire breathers, and free food and drinks all night.
The event also included an open the box raffle where, in addition to Stephen’s win, other winners received £3,000, a 65” TV, an Xbox, four lots of £250 and of course, an AO Teddy Bear.