Mum wins £300,000 lottery prize one year after losing her husband to cancer
A woman has revealed how she won a £300,000 lottery prize one year after losing her husband to cancer.
Caroline Walsh, 58, from Pontypool in Wales realised she had scooped the prize while she was waiting for a doctor's appointment.
The former lollipop lady bought a Super 7s scratch card on the way to the appointment, only realising she had won the top prize while sitting in the surgery waiting room.
The timing of her win is particularly poignant as it fell around the one-year anniversary of her husband, Mike's death in 2021.
“Mike and I always used to play the National Lottery together and talk about what we’d do if we won,” she says.
“He would have loved all of this. He always said he wanted us to move to Spain if we won but for now, I think he’ll be happy knowing that I’m going to be taken care of.”
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The lottery win will help the mum overcome what was a particularly tricky year after a run of devastating events including losing her husband, suffering a lupus attack and seeing her bungalow flood while she was recovering in hospital.
Walsh plays the National Lottery with her two sons, who will each take a share of the winnings.
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With her share she plans on using some of the money to transform her garden.
“Last year was awful, but things are definitely improving,” she says.
“The first thing I’m going to do is transform my garden. I want to make it into a space that’s easy to manage and somewhere I can enjoy when the sun shines.
“I’ve already bought some little treats for my grandchildren and I’m going to put some money aside for all of them."
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She also plans on taking a trip back to somewhere that was special to her and her late husband.
“My husband and I have had a caravan for years in Brean Sands in Somerset. We had such a lovely community of friends there and I’m looking forward to going back to celebrate in a place where I have such happy memories.”
Meanwhile Chris, 40, Ms Walsh’s eldest son, says he is going to use some of the winnings to take his family away on holiday.
“I couldn’t believe it when my mum called, I was absolutely ecstatic,” he says.
“£100K is an amazing amount of money and I can’t wait to put it towards a family holiday and plenty of treats for my partner and our children.”
Additional reporting PA Real Life.
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