MEN S heads have been turning as they walk into Sarah Tye s store at Sidmouth Garden Centre.

MEN'S heads have been turning as they walk into Sarah Tye's store at Sidmouth Garden Centre.

In the window sits a shiny red Bugatti replica one-third scale pedal car, first prize in a draw she is running to raise money for Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton Hospiscare.

With the �4,500 car, which faithfully reproduces the original model - apart from having no engine - Sarah hopes to raise thousands for Hospiscare.

Sarah chose the charity after one of her customers, Jan Sokel, chairman of Budleigh Salterton Hospiscare's fundraising committee, overheard her discussing plans to run a prize draw in aid of charity and suggested she chose Hospiscare.

It marks Sarah's first year of running Temptations, her lifestyle store at the garden centre and she said: "We have had a phenomenal run because I have got good customers. They have made it enjoyable to be here and Ian Barlow (centre owner) has been very supportive.

"I wanted to give something back to the community and this is our way of doing that."

Sarah has funded three prizes on offer, the car, a rocking horse for runner-up and a master compendium games set for third prize.

She currently has 1,000 tickets on sale for �5 each and hopes to make "as much money as I can" for Hospiscare.

When she saw the model car she said: "I thought it would be a child's piece, but dads and granddads are loving it as a collector's piece.

"It is handmade, with hand-beaten panels and I have had a lot of women buying tickets for their husbands."

Colourful tickets have been printed free of charge by Exe Print and Sarah sold 250 in the first week.

"All year I get asked to give raffle prizes but I would like to concentrate on doing one main one once a year and make it worthwhile," said Sarah, who hopes to run a similar fundraiser next year.

Tickets will be on sale until December and the draw will take place on December 21 in time for the prizes to be delivered for Christmas.