A former school lollipop lady who landed her family a £300,000 lottery windfall after buying a scratchcard on the way to a doctor’s appointment is set to celebrate with a holiday in Brean.
Caroline Walsh, 58, uncovered her jackpot on a Lottery Super 7s scratchcard as she sat waiting for her appointment.
Caroline, from Pontypool, lost her husband Mike to cancer last year, and will share the win with her children.
She and her late husband had a caravan in Brean for many years and therefore she’ll be returning to the village for a holiday and to see her circle of friends.
She says: “I spoke to my sons as soon as I got out of the surgery and they couldn’t believe it! We’re all in shock. They are both grown up and have children of their own so, the money will make such a difference to all of us.”
The scratchcard was bought as a family syndicate. Caroline’s eldest son Chris, 40, intends to put the money towards a family holiday for his partner and two children following a tough two years working through the pandemic.
The win follows a difficult time for the Walsh family after they lost their father, Mike, to cancer in February last year.
Caroline adds: “Mike and I always used to play the National Lottery together and talk about what we’d do if we won. He would have loved all of this. He always said he wanted us to move to Spain if we won but for now, I think he’ll be happy knowing that I’m going to be taken care of.”
The shock of losing her husband of 34 years actually triggered a lupus attack for Caroline who ended up spending six weeks in hospital and while she was there, her bungalow flooded, leading to months of further disruption.
Caroline, who was a school lollipop lady for 21 years, added: “Last year was awful but things are definitely improving. The first thing I’m going to do is transform my garden. I want to make it into a space that’s easy to manage and somewhere I can enjoy when the sun shines.”
“I’ve already bought some little treats for my grandchildren and I’m going to put some money aside for all of them.”
“My husband and I have had a caravan for years in Brean in Somerset. We had such a lovely community of friends there and I’m looking forward to going back to celebrate in a place where I have such happy memories.”
Pictured: Caroline celebrating her big win (Photo: National Lottery)
