Toast to Burnley mum after she raffles off her own £100 champagne prize to raise cash for mental health charity

The irony of winning the bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvée, with two champagne flutes, was not lost on Rachael Batson.

And while she could have saved it to pop the cork and toast the end of her year going sober, Rachael has decided to raffle the bottle off to help add to the funds she is raising for MIND, a charity that provides support, help and counselling for anyone struggling to cope.

Tickets are £15 each and the raffle will be drawn on Monday, March 29th.

Rachael said: "It is a fantastic prize in a lovely gift box from Harvey Nichols."

Rachael's inspiration for her massive challenge is her father, John Batson who died at the age of 81 after he was diagnosed with leukaemia lin 2014.

As he was her rock, his death left Rachael shattered but, with the help of close friends and her sons, Jordan, who is 20 and 14-year-old Joshua, she got through the toughest times.

To give something back for that help and support Rachael, who grew up in Nelson and attended Fisher More High School, Colne, became an avid fundraiser for various charities, from completing a 5k run for Cancer Research to going sober for a month.

She is passionate about raising money for and awareness of MIND as mental health is a huge problem, especially now during the pandemic.

The challenge is particularly huge for the 47-year-old, who works as an accounts manager for an energy company, as her way of relaxing and unwinding at the end of the day and the weekend is to enjoy a glass of wine.

She started the challenge in July and so far has raised £1,196 towards her £10,000 target. In September she was joined in the challenge by her colleague, Bobby Miller.

To buy one of the raffle tickets for the Bollinger or to make a donation please click HERE.