Co Armagh new parents Tyler and Erin, who just had their first baby, win 'life-changing' luxury house in Tommy French Competitions

Tyler Burns, aged 26, said he’s still in shock after the win last Sunday night. “It still hasn’t sunk in yet.”

His partner Erin, aged 25, gave birth to their first child Jonah just three days before Tyler won the prize and the couple had been living trying to raise money for their first house. “There’s been lots of tears. It just keeps hitting us in a different way all over again,” she said.

-

-

It was an easy choice for Tyler to take the house in Craigavon rather than the £175k cash prize with lucky number 9518.

He revealed they are living with Erin’s parents at the moment. “We moved in there for a while to try and get a bit of money together so we could actually get a deposit and get a mortgage and a house. So that just went out the window,” said Tyler. “We are very grateful.”

Erin said they were trying to avoid renting and try and get on the property market. That was the best option to stay at home for another while. We honestly didn’t know how long it was going to take us to save for a deposit, so this has really sorted us out,” said Erin with a huge smile.

Tyler, who went to Brownlow Integrated College, is working in a factory which makes peat incense but has ambitions to become a tailor and make Irish linen shirts.

Erin is a substitute primary school teacher working occasionally in St Anthony’s Primary School in Craigavon and Lismore Comprehensive. As a substitute teacher she doesn’t get the same maternity pay as her full time colleagues so it has been stressful financially for the couple as they became new parents.

She said the kids she teaches would be so excited to hear her great news. “I would love to go into the school for a day just to see their reaction,” she said.

The couple are hoping to move in within the next few weeks once all the paperwork is sorted.

Tyler said he went out to the car to get a water bottle for Erin and had his phone on listening to the countdown to the draw on the Tommy French Competitions website. He heard Julian Simmons counting down 3-2-1 and heard the number called. “For some reason I recognised it. Then they typed the number in and my name came up. I nearly lost it. I nearly smashed the front window of the house knocking it to get Erin’s attention. Erin spun round and nearly hurt herself. She was really annoyed at me.

"I came into the house and she was looking at me like she wanted to kill me and I said: ‘We’ve won the house. We’ve won the house. Poor Erin’s face changed from pure anger to the tears starting to trip her. Pure enjoyment. Just incredible. Brilliant, no feeling like it,” said Tyler, clearly still buzzing from the news.

Tyler said he is still going through text messages from people congratulating them. Erin said she kept asking, ‘are you sure, are you definitely sure and then my phone started to just ding, ding, ding’.

Erin said: “We just kinda knew. It has to be real. It has to be.” "Especially when Julian Simmons rang me,” said Tyler.

Tommy French, from Tommy French Competitions, said: “It’s always exciting doing a prize like a house. We do a lot of life-changing prizes, cash prizes, new cars. But there’s something special when we are doing a house. It really can change someone’s life. "I think Tyler knew straight away he was taking the house.”

Tyler said: “110% Straight away, as soon as my name came out I knew. I knew I was taking it from that moment.”

Tommy said: “I’m delighted that these guys took the house. Obviously there was a massive cash sum that they could have taken instead, £175,000, but money comes and goes. You guys will have this forever.

"It’s an unbelievable buzz for us as well. It’s such a good feeling to see the reaction from these guys.

"Honestly, the feeling you get when you see how it affects people’s lives, it’s a really special feeling. That’s across the board. Not just for the big prizes. Sometimes someone wins £500 or £1000 cash, they are just as happy,” he said.

Erin said it is hard to express how big this is for her family. “It has consumed our thoughts for so long. As soon as I knew I was pregnant, all we have been able to think about is, the next step is a house but how are we going to make this happen in such a short space of time.

"I am going to have to take off work. When you are a substitute teacher you are not entitled to the same money. It was definitely a big worry for us. Even worrying about how long maternity leave I could afford to take before I was going to have to go back.

"It’s just erased every worry that we had. It’s been really, really massive for me,” she said, cuddling her new born son. "It’s been crazy, it really has,” said Tyler.

Erin said: “It’s just the ideal situation, to take as long as you need off with your child. Everyone says you’ll never get that time back. It does feel really, really special just to take the full time now. I’m just so grateful.”

“It feels like a fairy tale. It’s like something you would read in a child’s fairy story. It’s a dream,” said Tyler.

Tommy said: “I’m just delighted for this couple. It’s such a buzz and you can see the reaction on Facebook. Good things happen to good people.”