Student whose dad died said winning Blackpool Merlin days out from Evolution brought her family together

A STUDENT whose dad died two years ago said winning a bumper Blackpool days out ticket was the perfect opportunity to bring the family together for all the right reasons.

Leah Peachey, 20, couldn’t believe it when she was selected at random as the winner of a Blackpool Big Ticket, donated by Blackpool-based business

Evolution to help a local family forget the cost of living crisis for a while and enjoy a host of attractions in the UK’s number one fun capital this summer.

Leah, from Cleveleys, said since her dad Chris, a big Blackpool FC fan, died two years ago the family hadn’t been able to enjoy many happy times

together and the competition win proved just the ticket.

The competition win enabled Leah, her mum Lisa, and gran Susan, to treat Leah’s three-year-old brother Oscar, and 13-year-old stepsister Daisy, to

unforgettable fun times together.

Leah said: “In 2021 my, Oscar and Daisy’s dad passed away. We had not had a chance to do stuff as a family since then. Winning this Evolution competition enabled us all to have a lot of fun and create new memories together.”

The family enjoyed three full days out visiting a host of Merlin Entertainments venues including Blackpool Tower, Blackpool Tower Ballroom, Peter Rabbit Attraction, Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse, Blackpool; Tower Dungeon, SEA LIFE Blackpool and Blackpool Tower Circus, all in the space of a week. They only missed out on adding Madame Tussauds to the list because Lisa had a hospital appointment.

Leah said: “We all absolutely loved sharing these amazing experiences. We went right up to the top of the Tower - we thought Oscar might be nervous - but he absolutely loved it.

“It was brilliant for me and my mum to see him so happy and enjoying it all so much.

“Daisy hadn’t been to SEA LIFE and the Blackpool Tower Circus for ages and she really loved doing that too.”

Leah, who is about to start her final year as a psychology student at Lancaster University, is a ballroom dancing fan, a member of a ballroom dancing society at university, and loved her first ever visit to Blackpool Tower Ballroom, the spiritual home of TV’s Strictly Come Dancing.

Leah said: “I am a really big fan of ballroom dancing and do it at university as a hobby. I’d never been in the Tower ballroom before. Going into the

ballroom and seeing it for the first time, it is such a beautiful building, and seeing all the people dancing was amazing.”

Speaking about how their win came about, Leah said: “We saw the Evolution competition on Facebook. I do enter these things, but we never win anything so as soon as I told my mum we had won, she couldn’t believe it. I had to tell her ‘honestly it’s not a scam, it’s real’!

“We can’t thank Evolution enough. There are no words for how we all feel about it. We will all be forever grateful for the prize we won.

“I had never heard of Evolution before this. But after we won I looked into the business. I am really glad that there is a company in Blackpool that has these values and morals and tries to give back to people in the community - it’s absolutely brilliant.”

JJ Fitgerald, Managing Director of Evolution, said: “Evolution creates positive social impact across the communities we serve through more than a decade of success in the construction industry.

“Our mission is to have a positive impact on people, places and the planet so we take every opportunity we can to give back to our communities.

“We are delighted that Leah and her family had such an amazing time and thank them for sharing their experiences with us. It’s truly heartwarming. Thanks too to everyone who entered our summer competition.”