Dream flat comes true for Joanna

Not long ago Joanna Hills was still dreaming of owning her own home. Now she has two after scooping the top prize in our competition to win a £250,000 flat.

Miss Hills, 31, who struggled for years to get on to the property ladder, had just bought and moved into her first flat in Hackney when she heard she had won. Many of her belongings are still in boxes, but fortunately she doesn't have far to move - her new home is within walking distance in fashionable Hoxton.

Miss Hills, head of merchandise at Nicole Farhi in Fulham, is delighted with her win. She said: "I thought it was a joke at first. The word spread round really quickly at work. We ended up having a proper celebration with champagne.

"I only saw the advert for the competition by chance because I was using newspapers to wrap my things up ready to move into my new flat. I decided I had nothing to lose."

The competition flat is part of a Conran-designed scheme called the Timber Yard in Drysdale Street, minutes from Hoxton Square. The apartment's combined home and office space, lit by floor-to-ceiling windows, covers 715sq ft. There is a bespoke kitchen by Pyram, resin floors and a limestone bathroom with Philippe Starck fittings.

"It's absolutely perfect," said Miss Hills. "I really like the area. This flat is much bigger than my Hackney place, and I would never have been able to afford it myself."