Orkney shop owner mistakenly ordered 720 Easter eggs, raising £3,000 for charity

Orkney shop owner Dan Dafydd made headlines after discovering 720 Easter eggs on his doorstep instead of the 80 he had intended to buy.

Sandy Island, where he lives, has a population of only 494, and the shipment was only enough to give each islander one and a half Easter eggs.

In order to get away with some chocolate treats, Mr Dafydd, owner of Sinclair General Stores, decided to raffle 100 eggs to one lucky winner and help raise funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

The 39-year-old has raised more than £3,000 for the charity told Sky News last weekvery “deeply rooted” in Sanday’s community.

Nestlé UK and Ireland has also agreed to match donations of up to £10,000 to the raffle, aiming to help the fundraising reach £20,000 by Easter Sunday.

Mr Dafydd said: “What started as a silly mistake brought me so much fun, laughter and joy and I’m so happy for that.”

“With the help of Nestlé UK and Ireland we have successfully raised a significant amount of money for the RNLI and with a lot of push and help from the public, hopefully we can reach our new target of £20,000.”

Since the media attention, he said, people from all over the world have called his store to buy raffle tickets.

Beth Lucas, marketing director for confectionery at Nestlé UK and Ireland, said the company “couldn’t resist getting involved” after hearing about Mr Dafydd’s “plight”.

Read more from Sky News:
Millions set to hit the roads over Easter as strong winds batter UK
Astrocomb breakthrough could help discover Earth-like planets

“It’s incredible to see how a simple mistake can turn into an opportunity to make a positive impact,” she said.

There’s still time to enter the Easter draw before the winner is drawn on Sunday.

However, whoever buys the 100 festive chocolate bars should be cautious after NHS doctors urged people to buy them earlier this week. Don’t eat the entire Easter egg in one sitting.

Dr Andrew Kelso, medical director at NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, said people don’t realize that an average egg contains three-quarters of an adult’s recommended daily caloric intake, adding: “Please don’t overdose.”

Anyone wishing to purchase the last remaining tickets can do so through a link on the Sinclair Grocery Facebook page.