In the heart of the Big Apple, Gordon and Maureen Pickles stand in wonder amid the hustle and bustle of New York's famous Times Square.

The Post's competition winners were soaking up the sights and sounds of the celebrated spot in Manhattan, where Broadway meets Seventh Avenue and the famous 42nd Street.

The Bristol couple are pictured with Rita and Stephen Altman, the parents of their son's penfriend, who showed them the sights of New York during their trip.

Gordon and Maureen will be landing back in Bristol on Monday after their whirlwind trip to New York, which they won in a Post competition.

They were whisked away for a weekend of Christmas shopping and sightseeing on Friday, an experience Mrs Pickles described as "magical".

It was a chance for the couple to enjoy the honeymoon they never had 35 years ago and also meant they could finally meet their son's penfriend of 23 years, Jason, and his family.

Jason, 31, and the Pickles' son David made friends through the Post's Pillar Box Club when they were eight.

The Pickles stayed in Manhattan at the Six Columbus hotel near Central Park and packed in visits to most of the sights.

Mrs Pickles, 61, said: "It has been a bit of a whirlwind.

"We met with the Altmans and that was fantastic, exactly how I thought it would be."

There was a trip to Times Square, a visit to the Empire State Building and to department stores Macy's, Lord and Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue for a look at the window displays.

The couple visited the Rockefeller Center, admired the stained glass windows at St Patrick's Cathedral and took a boat trip around the Statue of Liberty.

They also got a white Christmas because it was snowing when they landed at the airport. Mrs Pickles said: "We looked at the window displays in Macy's and they were just magical.

"There were little stories using mechanised puppets, each one with a different feature and people were just queueing up to have a look.

"And when we went on our boat trip we saw the Statue of Liberty in daylight and then as we came back it was dark, and we could see all the lights of Manhattan.

"It was everything we thought it would be and more."

As part of their prize the couple, from South Gloucestershire, were also pampered at Cabot Circus on Thursday ahead of the trip, visiting the House of Fraser Aveda Spa, and spending money in the department store. They were treated to lunch at Braserrie Blanc and dinner at Carluccio's.

Mrs Pickles said: "It has just been sensational.

"And it has been wonderful to meet the Altmans. It would have been so difficult to see what we saw without them.

"New York really is the city that never sleeps. Everything was 24 hours and everyone was so lovely and polite."