A father of two from Suffolk, who has endured a tough 12 months due to COVID-19, was given a ‘life changing’ boost in his efforts to start a new business when rugby legend James Hook drew his name in a prize draw as the lucky winner of a £20,000 new van.

Suffolk-based Perry Green had entered a competition run by Neath-based van leasing and contract hire company, Low Cost Vans, one of the UK’s leading providers of commercial vehicles, to give away a Ford Transit Custom van worth more that £20,000. The draw was announced live on Instagram by rugby legend James Hook on Sunday February 28.

Green, aged 32, is now the proud owner of the brand-new van, after entering the competition via the Low Cost Vans Instagram page. The win is set to make a huge difference to both the professional and family life of the married, father-of-two.

Like so many people across the country during the pandemic, materials technician, Green, has been on furlough for the majority of the last 12 months. During the summer, in a brief intermission between strict lockdowns, he decided to try and set up his own business cleaning wheelie bins in his native village of Glemsford, near Sudbury, in Suffolk.

Unfortunately, raising the funds for the transportation needed for the new business was especially difficult during this time. Winning the competition has, therefore, come as a great boost at the perfect time for him and his family.

Competition winner, Perry Green, said:

“Winning this van is definitely going to change my family’s lives. Due to the pandemic, I’ve only been able to work around five to six weeks during the past year, and this has made it particularly difficult to get the savings together to buy my own van, especially when the bills keep coming in and you have hungry mouths to feed.

“The new van is going to allow me to really make a go of the idea I had during lockdown to start my own business, but which I couldn’t really make work without suitable transportation.

“On top of that, once travel restrictions are lifted – hopefully in the summer – I’ll be able to take my wife and two daughters on a few trips in our new van. Top of the list will be a trip back to Wales, possibly to climb one of the mountains, maybe Pen-Y-Fan.”

The Low Cost Vans giveaway was launched at the end of 2020 by Becky Evans, one of the UK's most exciting female automotive content creators and Instagram influencers, with the draw taking place live on the social media channel, and announced by Ospreys, Wales, and British and Irish Lions rugby star James Hook.

As well as the Ford Transit Custom van, the giveaway also includes free six months insurance, free maintenance costs for six months and free fleet management with Low Cost Vans new Drive Assure service for the lifetime of the vehicle.

The Drive Assure service includes a daily prompt for the driver who will be asked to inspect the basic condition of the vehicle before driving it, MOT reminders, mileage input reminders, and a dedicated helpline for accident management.

Low Cost Vans, based in Neath, South Wales, has grown rapidly in the last 12 months, despite the coronavirus pandemic. This success led Low Cost Vans managing director, Rod Lloyd, to consider ways the company could give something back to the community during a particularly challenging year.

Rod Lloyd, managing director of Low Cost Vans, said:

“As a company, we have grown steadily, despite the pandemic, and gone from strength to strength in our core business of making commercial vehicles available to companies and individuals across the UK, keeping businesses on the road and the economy moving in the process.

“But the pandemic has hit many industries very hard and many people have found themselves furloughed or out of work. Many self-employed people have been unable to work at all during lockdown and start-up businesses have found it almost impossible to get off the ground. That is why we decided to give away this incredible prize of a fully insured and maintenance supported Ford Transit Custom, to make it a very special start to 2021 for the lucky winner.

“It’s wonderful to hear Perry’s story, and know that winning this van is set to make such a huge difference to his life – both professionally and personally. I’m sure Perry will be able to take advantage of the van’s practicality and utility in his new enterprise, and it will make a big difference to his life and work.”