Life changing

Dive in for Morrie’s Big Surprise

In 1545, King Henry VIII's favourite ship, The Mary Rose, sank in the Solent. In 1982, it was raised in the world's largest underwater maritime archaeological excavation ever undertaken. And Maurice Young, 88, was one of the original divers on the restoration project.

Maurice ('Morrie'), a shipwright by trade, first became involved with the project in 1966 and 52 years later, volunteers at the National Lottery-funded museum. Through his dedication and commitment, many thousands of people hear the tale of this extraordinary ship and hear first-hand about the challenges of finding her in The Solent where she had lain for more than 400 years.

And now it’s time to honour Morrie for all his hard work and support. The National Lottery's 'Big Surprise' on ITV – which honours the individuals who have made a real difference with the help of National Lottery funding – delivered a heart-warming surprise for the very deserving Morrie.

Watch the film above to discover how we helped Morrie's colleagues, friends and family come together to create the surprise of a lifetime and say thanks for the amazing work he's done to keep the history of the Mary Rose alive.

4th October 2018

The National Lottery has been changing the lives of winners and supporting good causes across the UK since 1994. In that time, there have been more than 7,000 new millionaires created and by playing The National Lottery you raise over £4 million for Good Causes every dayΔ.

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