Bury St Edmunds mum wins £250,000 on a scratchcard
When Nicola Flack treated herself to a scratchcard she didn’t realise it would lead to £250,000 worth of treats for her and her daughter. The Bury St Edmonds shop assistant is now celebrating being debt free and financially secure.
Nicola Flack was on the way to visit her mum and dad when she stopped off at the newsagents to pick up a few bits and decided to treat herself to a scratchcard. Nicola said, "My daughter was keen to get to nan's house so I was thinking about that more than the scratchcard. I played the first game, hoping that I would reveal the winning symbol, a diamond, to give me a win but never in my wildest dreams thought I really would, or if I did it would be a £250,000 prize!
"As I revealed the diamond and then the £250,000 prize I had to look twice before I said to my daughter, 'mum's just won' to which she said, 'as if'! She quickly started to believe me when I was shaking like a leaf and the shop assistant came to check I was okay."
With the shop assistant confirming it looked like a winning scratchcard, Nicola went round the corner to her work so her boss could confirm she really was £250,000 better off. "My boss took one look at the scratchcard and told me she was calling my mum and dad to come and fetch me. I felt like a 15 year old all over again but to be honest I was in so much shock I really did need my mum and dad to look after me!"
Back to work
Not one to rest on her laurels, despite being £250,000 better off, shop assistant Nicola was back at work at 7am the next morning but not before she'd hidden the scratchcard at her mum’s house.
"I don't intend to give up work so I wasn’t going to let them down on Sunday morning although I will admit I did go to work with a bit more of a spring in my step than usual for a Sunday. I was too worried to keep something worth £250,000 with me so hid the scratchcard at mums where it stayed until the win was officially verified."
With the money in her account Nicola could be forgiven for going on a spending spree but the wise mum has other plans for her win. "I've paid off my debts and the rest of it has already been safely invested for a secure future for my daughter and I. Some people may buy a flash car or new house but I'm happy with my lot. For me, knowing we are financially secure is the ultimate dream come true."
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