Life changing

Caring couple win £1Million on Lotto

A couple who both work to support others have won £1Million with a Lotto Lucky Dip. The carer, and site controller at a special needs school, won playing online and hope the win is the start of some special Christmas memories.

Patricia Aldridge, 55, and husband Robert, 57, from Slough, are over the moon with their life changing win. Patricia, who cares for those living with Dementia and Alzheimer’s in a local residential home, says the win bought some Christmas joy for the family at a time of year that has more recently been associated with tragedy.

“We lost both my parents three months apart just before Christmas a few years ago so it’s been hard to celebrate, then last year we all decided we’d make an effort again only to lose my brother to heart failure on Christmas Eve. It’s been so tough but we all hope that this win heralds a new and happier season of joy for our family.”

Patricia’s first call after she discovered the win was to her husband of 30 years, Robert, who was driving home from his job as a site controller at a special needs school. He initially didn’t believe the news of the win but the couple are now looking forward to creating special Christmas memories.

“If I’m honest, following our loss last Christmas I really was beginning to think we were cursed for Christmas, but it seems that maybe our luck has now turned. This win doesn’t bring our loved ones back but it does mean we can help out our nearest and dearest and that’s a Christmas gift anyone would want.”

Very Lucky Dip

Mum of three Patricia was on a break at work and signed into her National Lottery account to play EuroMillions and check the Lotto results when she saw a message advising her she’d won on a Lotto Lucky Dip.

“I was chuffed to see I’d won on a Lucky Dip but just underneath that message I spotted a slightly more exciting one which said I’d also won £1,000,000 on Lotto and to call Camelot. It’s certainly not your average Tuesday email.”

Patricia called Robert and told him to pull over before she’d share her exciting news.

“I told him I’d won on a Lucky Dip to which he replied ‘why get me to pull over for that?’, which is when I then told him ‘I think I’ve also won £1,000,000!’ It was certainly one of our craziest conversations.”

Robert headed over to meet Patricia at work and the pair called Camelot.

“I was convinced it was a hoax so when the lady at the National Lottery Line confirmed I was a winner I couldn’t stop giggling, I just didn’t know what else to do. I can’t imagine what anyone who saw us must have thought as we were both sitting in the car giggling but it’s not every day you win £1,000,000.”

Future plans

Patricia and Robert’s win will bring plenty of joy for their three twenty-something children as the generous pair have plans to help each onto the property ladder. After helping out their children, Patricia and Robert have a few plans of their own.

“Neither of us plan to give up work just yet but it’s nice knowing we have the security to take things easier when, and if, we need to.

“We’ll definitely look for a new home but to be honest, we’d already started to think about moving to a place with an annexe so Robert’s parents could live with us. This win just means that house and annexe could be a bit swankier than originally planned.

“And just a few weeks ago we’d decided we needed to change our car, it’s 14 years old and things are starting to go wrong on it. Suddenly that rather considered decision can now take place without too much concern for the financing so we’ve already test driven and ordered a new Nissan X Trail which we should have by Friday.”

19th December 2017

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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