A LUCKY couple have already started shopping for their holiday of a lifetime after winning a luxury cruise in a competition from the East Anglian Daily Times and Fred Olsen Travel.

A LUCKY couple have already started shopping for their holiday of a lifetime after winning a luxury cruise in a competition from the East Anglian Daily Times and Fred Olsen Travel.

Christine and Patrick Donovan from Wenhaston, near Halesworth, could not believe their luck when told the good news.

"It is such a marvellous prize and we are both extremely excited and looking forward to the trip," said Mrs Donovan.

"In fact we have been celebrating by going shopping for clothes to take with us," she said.

The couple moved to Wenhaston 16 months ago from Great Barton, near Bury St Edmunds, and are regular EADT readers.

"We have always enjoyed reading the EADT and this prize really is something special," said Mrs Donovan.

Mr and Mrs Donovan celebrate their Silver Wedding and their family and friends, including their two grown-up children, are delighted at their success.

"Everyone we have told have been just as excited as we are. They have all told us to make the most of our good fortune and we intend doing just that," said Mrs Donovan.

The trip of a lifetime in December takes them across the Atlantic to join the cruise on the island of Barbados.

During the holiday Mr and Mrs Donovan will visit Tobago and then on to South American and the area around the River Amazon.

They will visit the Alter do Chao (Altar of the Earth), Manaus at the heart of the rainforest and the little Indian village of Parantins.

Then there is a visit to the infamous Devil's Island, made famous by

Franklin J. Shaffner who directed the film true story of Henri Charriere (better known as "Papillon" or "the butterfly"), a prisoner so determined to escape the notorious island, he attempted it several times until he reached old age. Steve McQueen played Charriere.

During the 15-day £6,500 cruise 'home' will be the superb Braemar, one of the fine ships in the Fred Olsen fleet.

Fred Olsen Travel has rapidly become synonymous with quality, choice and outstanding customer service.

There are Fred Olsen Travel offices in Ipswich, Colchester, Bury St Edmunds and Felixstowe, offering a wide range of holiday destinations including luxury cruises.

The EADT cruise competition was one of the most popular to be featured in recent years and attracted thousands of entries.

We would like to thank all our readers who took part and promise more competitions and special offers in the future.

david.lennard@eadt.co.uk