Daphne Nash receiving her necklance from jeweller Denis Burrows

A "flabbergasted" mum took home a heart necklace worth £600 in a Valentine’s Day competition.

Daphne Nash, 42, won the challenge to guess how long it would take for a 14st block of ice to melt at St George’s Shopping Centre, Gravesend, and reveal the necklace buried inside.

The mum-of-one went to Denis Burrows Jewellers yesterday to pick up her white and yellow gold necklace with her husband Daniel and daughter Tara-Leigh.

She said: "I never dreamed I would win, I still can’t believe it, I’m so pleased and shocked at the same time.

"I never normally win things - I won a bit on the bingo once, many many years ago, but that’s about it.

"This is the most expensive piece of jewellery I own except for a lovely watch my husband gave me."

The nine carat gold, diamond-inset necklace was handmade by the jewellers for the occasion, making it the only one of its kind in the world.

Tara-Leigh, 14, encouraged her mum to enter the competition while Daniel was self-admittedly in a "grumpy mood" being out on a regular St George’s shopping trip with the ladies and wandered off to find something to eat.

"I just thought why not enter, you never known," said Tara-Leigh.

Daphne, from Rochester, won the competition with her guess of three days, six hours and seven minutes.

"I chose three because there’s three of us and 67 because I used to live at number 67 and I loved that house."

Daniel said: "I’m very proud of Daphne and I’d just like to say a huge thank you to St George’s centre manager Andrew Thomas-Knowles and Denis Burrows for doing this, it’s fantastic."

Mr Thomas-Knowles approached Mr Burrows about helping to provide the Centre with its competition prize.

He said: "I didn’t expect the necklace to be worth close to £600. I spoke to Denis in the hope he might be willing to contribute something towards the cost, but he offered to do it all himself and we ended up with a beautiful piece of jewellery which really made the competition quite exceptional. So I have him to thank for this."

Mr Burrows said: "It was a pleasure to do and I’m sure we will be involved when the Centre next does something similar."

kmfm launched the competition on behalf of St George’s and close to 900 people entered with guesses ranging from 3 hours to 55 days.

But Daphne was closest with her guess, just 10 minutes away from the three days, six hours and 17 minutes it took to melt.