Mum Kelly Gilbert is £1,000 better off thanks to her four-year-old son Charlie, who was spotted playing with a display in a Brighton store.

The mother-of-two saw her son tampering with what appeared to be a Christmas present in the Debenham's store at Churchill Square shopping centre, Brighton.

On closer inspection, however, Kelly realised the gift was an entry box for a competition, which she duly decided to enter.

And after being told she had beaten thousands of other entrants to win, she spent yesterday enjoying a festive shopping spree with the help of personal shoppers in the store.

Kelly, 33, a bank clerk from Patcham, Brighton, said: "They phoned and told me I had won and, now it has sunk in, I am over the moon.

"I have never won anything before and I was waiting for the catch but there wasn't one."

With the help of personal shoppers Lynne Cushing and Jane Busby, Kelly spent the morning trying on clothes and looking out for a few last-minute presents.

Kelly said: "It was really nice just trying on lots of clothes and having them help me out. I have not had to do anything.

"I have got quite a while to go before I spend all the money. I had all these ideas but when it came to it I wasn't sure what to get.

"I am sure I will manage to spend it though and I have already had a few offers of help from my family."

Kelly said she was thinking of buying some clothes for Charlie and his brother, 14-month-old George.

She said: "I would really like some new clothes and a new coat. All the things I kept putting off I can now buy.

"I probably will use the service again. I have got a wedding to go to next year so I will probably be back to get an outfit for that."

Lynne said the personal shopper service had been running at the store for just over a year and she believed it was the only one in Brighton.

She said: "We do all sorts of things, such as helping people to pick out an outfit for a special occasion or a whole new wardrobe for ladies who are too busy to shop.

"They can come in and relax and have a cup of coffee while we do all the hard work. We also help disabled people who can't get around the store so easily to do their shopping.

"Once we have helped people, they definitely come back. We have our regulars who come in about once every three months. And it's not just women. We have quite a few men too."

The competition was run jointly by Debenham's and the shopping centre.