It's going to be a festive season to remember for one lucky Northern Irish family, after they were selected in a nationwide competition to ‘fly a loved one home for Christmas’.
The Lennon family, from Newry, eagerly awaited the return of their son Ethan from Dublin Airport on Saturday, just four days shy of Christmas Day.
It was the 25-year old’s first time back ‘home’ in three years after he moved to New York to follow his dream career and live in 'The Big Apple' and all made possible thanks to local broadband provider Fibrus.
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Fibrus, the broadband provider responsible for bringing Full Fibre broadband to rural and regional towns across Northern Ireland and Cumbria, launched the competition earlier this year to celebrate reaching its 100,000 customer milestone.
One winner was picked here in Northern Ireland and one winner was selected in Cumbria.
It was an emotional reunion, with Ethan’s father, Damian, collecting him from the airport on Saturday morning, and his extended family waiting at home to share a cup of tea together for the first time since 2021.
Among the family members gathering at home was Ethan’s 96-year old grandmother, Philomena, and his brother, whose two-year old daughter and three-year-old son had ever met their uncle before.
Damian Lennon, Ethan’s father, says getting his son home for Christmas is magical: “We never in our wildest dreams thought this would happen as he wasn’t able to make plans to come home this year. His grandmother is beside herself with excitement and it’s made her Christmas.
“Ethan works as a project manager and recently changed jobs so he didn't think he'd get home this year. Thankfully because of this competition and his new employer giving him a few extra days leave as well as big thanks to Fibrus, this Christmas miracle is happening.”
Calum Lennon, Ethan’s brother, said: “Usually, we keep in touch with Ethan on a family WhatsApp group where we share pictures of the kids and daily updates but it’s not the same as seeing each other.
“It’s amazing to have Ethan home and reunited with the family at the most special time of year. The kids can’t wait to meet their uncle and play with him. They’re hoping it snows so they can build their first snowman together.“
Colin Hutchinson, CFO at Fibrus said: “So many families are apart at Christmas, and we know how much it means to spend precious time with loved ones at this time of year. At Fibrus we are specialists when it comes to keeping people digitally connected.
“And this festive season we are delighted to go the extra mile by bringing a loved one home in time for Christmas. The Lennon family have a lot to celebrate this Christmas, and we’re delighted to be able to make their Christmas wish come true.”
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