Cracking Christmas planned for Abbeywood Gran after £250k GameStore win

Now £250,000 richer she is promising the grandkids a much more impressive Christmas although she is still working out how to wrap up husbands Ron's dream gift, a BMW.

Margaret was in the newsagents when her festive feeling struck and she decided to buy a Christmas Advent Calendar 2015 Scratchcard from National Lottery GameStore. Just about to start a 10 hour shift the mum of nine thought it would give her a bit of seasonal joy.

"I started to feel a bit festive and decided to try my luck on a Christmassy Scratchcard. I started to play, revealing the symbols behind the 24 different dates. If I'm honest I wasn't really paying attention until I played the final box, the 24th, and revealed a pair of reindeer and a £250,000 prize. That certainly got my attention but I was absolutely sure that it must be a mistake, this sort of thing just doesn't happen to me!"

Not believing what she had seen Margaret took a photo and sent it to Ron asking him to check she was right. He quickly called Margaret telling her it looked like a winner to him. Margaret said, "Mindful that I was meant to be working I told my manager what had happened and that I needed to call Camelot before starting work. She just laughed and said 'you've won quarter of a million pounds, make that call!' – so I did."

Once the call was made Margaret was so excited she had to call Ron to take her home, she said, "I was shaking like a leaf and weeping tears of joy – I was useless at work so Ron came to fetch me and as we headed home we kept chuckling at the turnaround in our fortunes. I just couldn't believe how lucky I'd been. People say winning is life–changing and for us it really is, especially this close to Christmas. It's definitely going to be a cracking Christmas!

"We both work, me as a customer assistant and Ron an assistant manager at a plumbing store, but with nine children and 17 grandchildren Christmas is always an exciting affair but it can be expensive too. This year we don’t need to worry. The grandkids will all have slightly more impressive Christmas presents from their Nan and Grandad, and we’ll have a little nest–egg for the future too."

But it's not just the grandkids getting a bumper Christmas thanks to that lucky Christmas Scratchcard. Ron's dream car is a BMW and Margaret has promised that she will be buying one for her beloved husband.

While she has an upgraded Christmas to look forward to Margaret is also excited about the secure future the family can now enjoy in the New Year. "It's amazing to think we can round off 2015 on such a fabulous note and head into 2016 financially secure. We have always been in rented accommodation and at last, after all these years and numerous moves, we can finally buy ourselves a nice little flat. To have my own home was always a pipe dream and now it's a reality – that has to be the most awesome Christmas present ever."