Sunderland family appeals for one final push as campaign to fund dream move enters 'nervy' final week

A Sunderland family who are raffling their house to fund a dream move overseas have urged supporters for ‘one last push’ as their campaign enters its final week.
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The McDonald family say they have been pushing the online competition ‘everywhere possible’ in a bid to secure the prized move to Adelaide in Australia, which they hope to realise next year.

Christine and Paul McDonald, both 42, have gone as far as to make an appearance on BBC’s ‘Wanted Down Under’ in order to plug the fundraising drive.

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Christine, a child therapist, told The Echo that she and the rest of the family are feeling ‘nervy’ going into their campaign’s final week.

Christine and Paul McDonald and their sons Luke, 16 and Evan, 13 are raffling their house to move to Australia.Christine and Paul McDonald and their sons Luke, 16 and Evan, 13 are raffling their house to move to Australia.
Christine and Paul McDonald and their sons Luke, 16 and Evan, 13 are raffling their house to move to Australia.

They have sold more than 58,000 raffle tickets, edging them closer to their target sale of 75,000 – scaled back from an original target of 100,000.

“The support we’ve had has been brilliant,” Mrs McDonald said.

"Someone got in contact with me whose brother lives in Los Angeles but is from Sunderland. And he’s desperate to get back to Sunderland.

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"So he’s been buying loads of tickets because he really wants to come back. And we’ve also had people buying tickets in Australia itself, as well as Malta and other countries.

"What we’re really just asking for going into these final few days is for the North East to get behind us – this is the first time anything like this has been done in Sunderland.”

Five per cent of the money raised will also go to the Bradley Lowrey Foundation, she added.

The winner of the raffle will be announced this Sunday, December 6.

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