A MAN who visited the New Forest to recuperate after a bout of ill health has won a new car worth £20,000.

Auto electrician Jim Manley and his wife Wendy toured the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, and entered a prize draw organised by the National Motor Museum Trust.

Now the couple have returned to the Forest to collect their prize – a sporty Mini convertible.

They were presented with the vehicle by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu in a ceremony outside Palace House,

ancestral home of the Montagu family.

Jim, from Epsom in Surrey, said: “When I got the call to say I’d won I thought it was a wind-up – it took a while for the penny to drop.

“I’ve experienced a few health problems this year and decided to have a break in the New Forest to help me recover.

“I was encouraged to buy a raffle ticket by a very friendly museum guide who said, ‘you never know, you might just win’.

“I’m so glad I entered and am really looking forward to driving the Mini on sunny summer days.”

Next year’s prize is a Fiat 500C TwinAir open-top city car.