Life changing

Join a Lottery millionaire on her last day at work

What would you do after banking £1M? Five months after her win, Jacqui Shannon, from Essex has decided to give up work and enjoy her new found freedom. As Jacqui toasted her last commute home from the office with a friend she told us how the win had changed her life.

Jacqui has left her office for the last time. The full-time business support manager for a charity won £1M in November 2016 and is now leaving her job to enjoy her win. She said, “I’m giving myself time and permission to enjoy the freedom the win has given us – and also to actually spend some money!”

The married mother of one said she has realised that winning isn’t all about the cash. She explains, “The win has given me choice in so many ways. I can choose to do something rather than feel I have to do it, and leaving work is a perfect example. I could carry on working, it’s a great and meaningful job, but I’m choosing to take a different path and take some time to make different choices. Plus, my leaving opens up an opportunity for someone else.”

Future plans

Jacqui has plenty of plans for her new found freedom. She is looking forward to being able to do the things we all have on our ‘if only we had time’ list but never seem to get round to. "I’ve already started to look at cookery courses and maybe I can learn a new language or take art classes.”

There have been treats since the win with new cars for Jacqui and her husband, a new kitchen and bathroom for the family home, as well as a first class trip to Dubai to visit her sister. But it is the time she can devote to her family now she has given up work that Jacqui is most excited about.

"It will mean I can spend more time with our son. I’m not sure if he realises mum giving up work equals less time on the Playstation but I’m sure he’ll be fine with that once we start doing things together. It’s the simple stuff – like getting us both bikes so we can go on little rides together – as well as travelling together in the school holidays to see and experience different countries and cultures.”

Patience

Five months may seem a long time to wait to give up work but that is nothing for Jacqui who waited three weeks to discover she was a millionaire. Having played online Jacqui didn’t check her account after receiving emails telling her there was news about her ticket.

“I was at work one morning, getting ready for the day ahead, when I remembered to log into my account to see what the win was. I was chatting to my colleague and not really paying attention to my Lottery account.

“When I saw that the first message in my account was alerting me that I’d won a Lucky Dip I assumed that was the win, until I read the second message which was about a £1million win on the UK Millionaire Maker! I calmly said to my colleague, ‘sorry, could you hold that thought and ran out of the room into the corridor to ring Camelot.”

Cocktail time

Jacqui is marking the end of her working days with a special trip to New York with a couple of friends. It is this kind of memory making experience which she feels is now her priority.

“I can’t believe that on Friday, rather than facing a commute home, I will be drinking Manhattans in Manhattan! It’s the experiences we will remember in later life and we want to have time to do that. This is what a lottery win has given us.”

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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