FORMER Lyme Regis resident Pauline Burls has won a VIP trip to see the Queen's golden jubilee celebrations in London - in a contest she didn't even know she had entered.

Pauline, a retired home help, now living in Marshwood, has been given four tickets with a grandstand view of all the major events opposite Buckingham Palace next month.

She was one of a handful from thousands of hopefuls picked at random for the lucky "Golden Ticket".

But this week Pauline, wife of former Lyme-based plumber William Burls, faced a painful dilemma over whether or not to accept her once in a lifetime invitation.

For she is a member of the group that has been working hard on Marshwood's own jubilee celebrations also planned for the June 3 and 4 weekend - and she is worried about letting down her colleagues.

She explained that her daughter Wendy, who works at Hartley's greengrocers in Lyme, had entered her for the tickets. "But I had no idea - even though she got me to post the letter!" said Pauline.

"The first I knew was when they phoned to say I had won. I thought it was a wind up - my friend and I often muck about like that and I thought it was her.

"Now I just can't take it in - I went all shivery when I realised it was true. I even phoned my sister in America to tell her." But on Wednesday Pauline said she felt so guilty about missing the village's jubilee party she had not yet plucked up courage to tell her colleagues on the committee. But she said family and friends had all said she should not give up her unique invitation.

Pauline, an ardent Royalist, has already enjoyed a close encounter with the Queen. She was with fellow members of the Uplyme Branch of the Royal British Legion Women's Section who were at Exeter when Her Majesty began her jubilee tour recently.

Pauline's Golden Ticket reserves four seats in the principle Queen Victoria Memorial South Stand opposite The Palace - with a great view as events unfold along The Mall on June 3 and 4.

The fabulous prize also includes, travel to London with Virgin and accommodation at the Hilton Trafalgar Hotel.