Life changing

Lotto dream comes true for Salford mum

A mum of three from Salford, who always dreamed of becoming a millionaire, is celebrating after scooping one of 67 life changing prizes from the extra special Lotto Medal Draw. Jane Wyatt received her cheque at the National Lottery funded National Cycling Centre home of so many of our Rio champions.

On top of the usual Lotto draw, additional prizes were up for grabs to celebrate each of the incredible medals won by Team GB in Rio, and Jane Wyatt, 49, won £1Million plus her very own commemorative Lottery Gold medal.

Jane, a part time civil servant, only bought a Lucky Dip Lotto ticket online because she felt lucky – and with just minutes to go before the deadline to enter.

She said, “I actually work term time and I’ve been off work since the start of the summer. I was meant to be going back this week so I thought I’d try my luck and see if I could stay off work forever! I certainly felt lucky when I bought my ticket and I have always believed I would become a millionaire one day.

“I saw it was a special draw with more millionaires being created after Great Britain’s success at the Olympics and just fancied my chances. I loved the Olympics and I was glued to the television throughout so I thought this could be my lucky draw.”

How much?

It was the following day that Jane logged onto her emails that she realised she had won – but had no idea of the amount.

“When I checked my email the following morning, I saw that I had won something and it asked me to log into my account. I thought it was only going to be £2 or maybe even £10 – my jaw hit the floor when I saw all those zeros. It still hasn’t sunk in and I’m not sure it ever will.”

Jane first broke the news to her mum Eileen, “When I told my mum the news that I had actually won, she kept saying ‘I told you so! I knew you were a lucky lady and it would happen to you one day!’

“My mum always said I’d end up winning the Lottery and deep down, I’ve always thought I would too. I’ve always been naturally lucky.”

Treat for Mum

Jane plans to use her newfound fortune to treat her mum with a special holiday to celebrate Jane’s 50th birthday next year.

She revealed, “We talked about a holiday to celebrate my birthday and have some quality mother-daughter time. Thanks to this win, it’s gone from a week away to a fortnight on a cruise, something we’ve never been able to afford.”

Also on Jane’s shopping list is a new home for her and her three boys, Jonathan, 22, Ben, 21, and Alex, 16. The boys have already put in requests for some luxury items including designer clothes, watches and a car.

She added, “The boys have given me a long list of things they want and I will be sure to treat them. I’m just so happy that I’m able to give them a helping hand, something I would never have been able to do before I won.

“Of course I’ll still look after myself, whether that’s a luxury holiday abroad or sprucing up my wardrobe, or both – I am still thinking.”

Jane is still to decide if she will retire, and has even been into work this week, but the win now gives her the choice. “I haven’t decided if I will definitely retire but it is fantastic to be in the position where I have that choice.”

But one thing that won’t be stopping is playing the National Lottery. “I’ve been playing since it started and I’ll continue to keep playing. If it’s happened once, why can’t it happen again?”

Jane’s cheque presentation took place at the National Cycling Centre. The centre has received £3Million in National Lottery funding and has been key for training athletes such as Olympic Gold Medallists Jason Kenny and Laura Trott.

The National Lottery plays a unique role in supporting the UK’s elite athletes, with no-one contributing more to elite sport in the UK than National Lottery players. British athletes have won 700 Olympic and Paralympic medals since National Lottery funding was first awarded to elite athletes in 1997. Alongside elite sport, The National Lottery has invested over £5 billion in grassroots sport to date, supporting more than 150 different sports and creating opportunities for everyone to get fit.

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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