Kind-hearted strangers help south Warwickshire man win a free car during dramatic treasure hunt in the county

On October 18, Scrap Car Comparison gave people the chance to dig up the keys to a brand-new Fiat 500 for free.

The only catch being that the keys to the car were buried, and had to be found by deciphering three clues that led to a unique what3words location.

Stretford-based colleagues Alex Rawson and Danny Lane had seen details of the treasure hunt in the weeks leading up to the date the clues were revealed and were planning on trying to win the Fiat for themselves.

Upon deciphering the clues and learning that the keys were buried some 100 miles south of them in Henley-in-Arden, the pair decided that rather than giving up, they would try and help someone else to win the car instead.

Alex Rawson, 51 from Stretford, Greater Manchester, said: “We looked at the location on Google Maps and saw there was a business nearby called RM Roofing.

"As we work for a company called RM Education ourselves, this felt like fate, so we called the number on their website and got through to Simon.

“After convincing him we weren’t prank callers and texting over the details on the Scrap Car Comparison website, we stayed on the phone while he made his way to the nearby location of the keys, and tried to help him find exactly where they were.

“The moment he found them; we were celebrating together. It felt so good to spread some good fortune and play a part in making someone’s day.

"We’re over the moon to have helped someone get a brand-new car.”

Simon Muirhead, 40, from Bearley in Warwickshire, beat almost 3,000 people that tried to decipher the clues, and participants that had travelled from Sheffield, Birmingham and Leicester in an attempt to claim the car.

Simon said: "I was just about to leave for work and I had a call from an unknown number, then the next thing I know they’re talking me through how to find the keys to a brand-new car.

"I almost lost out on it as other people were turning up to try and find them, but I’m so pleased I dug them up before anyone else.

“My partner has a car that’s around a decade old, and has been concerned about a noise it makes, which could have led to a costly repair or two, but now we've got the perfect replacement.”

Dan Gick, managing director at Scrap Car Comparison, added: “As we have seen that people who have to scrap their cars are having an increasingly difficult time of purchasing a new one, we wanted to spread some joy and give anyone the chance to get a new one for absolutely free.

“What we didn’t expect, was that the hunt for the keys itself would help to show that even in tumultuous times, there’s still a lot of goodwill in the country.

"It was amazing to learn about the incredibly kind act from Alex and Danny, and hope that thanks to them, Simon (or his partner) are able to enjoy the new car, and worry a lot less about having to repair it any time soon”.