A MUCH-LOVED teacher who received the surprise of her life live on TV has thanked a holiday homemaker for making her dreams come true.

The latest series of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway kicked off with teacher Kath Crawley being rewarded for her 32 years of dedication with a brand-new holiday home at the Avon Wood Holiday Home Park in Newby Bridge, on the shores of Windermere.

The big reveal, which had Mrs Crawley pictured outside, believing she was to take part in an ITV News interview about her career as a teacher, was the culmination of months of undercover filming during her last year before retiring, as the Saturday Night Takeaway team staged a series of ‘Operation Thank You Miss’ surprises featuring former pupils of the teacher.

The team had heard how much Mrs Crawley loves caravan holidays in the Lake District and had been saving up for years for a new holiday home.

To make her retirement dreams come true producers approached holiday home company Willerby, who as well as donating a two-bedroom model from the Willerby Brookwood range have agreed to cover the cost of transporting it to the holiday park and installing it on site, taking the total value of the gift to £47,000.

Mrs Crawley plans to retire in July, after 38 years as a teacher – the past 32 at St Thomas’ CE Primary School in Wigan.

She said: “Our current caravan is more than 20 years old and I was toying with the idea of changing it when I retire, but I definitely didn’t expect this.

“I’d like to say a massive thank you to Willerby. It means so much to me and my family and it’s so nice to know our future generations can keep visiting this lovely place as our family grows.

“I had a look at the holiday home online and I’m in total disbelief. It has a dishwasher and fridge freezer and it’s ultra-modern, bright and spacious. It will be absolutely perfect for us for at least another 15 to 20 years.”

Accompanied by her daughter, Becky, Mrs Crawley was led to believe she was at the TV studios for an ITV News interview about her career as a teacher, before the real reason was revealed.

Mrs Crawley’s current pupils played their own special part in the televised surprise, appearing by video link to suggest retirement gifts for their favourite teacher.

She added: “I’m astounded and amazed by it all and I’m still buzzing. When I walked through the studio door, I did a double take and tried to walk by Ant and Dec because I thought they were there doing a soundcheck.

“I only realised I was on live television when Ant said something to me and told me to sit down. It was so surreal.

“I’ve had such lovely, beautiful and heartfelt comments from friends, family, colleagues and current and former pupils. The children have been so excited.

“They have all made such a big contribution to my life as a teacher."