A woman has reflected on her life-changing £2.7million National Lottery win nearly three decades ago and revealed the reason she returned to stacking shelves at a supermarket.
Elaine Thompson, 68, said she was instantly hooked on the National Lottery when it kicked off in November 1994 and, like many others, she’d always purchase the same three lines with numbers picked from birthdays and anniversaries. “My hubby Derek, 66, and I hail from Newcastle, but in 1995 we were residing in Basingstoke,” she shared.
“He was crunching numbers at Motorola and I was handling payroll at a garage. On December 9 – our 17th wedding anniversary – Derek went to London to catch the Newcastle United vs Chelsea match with his mates. ‘Don’t forget to buy a ticket!’ he reminded me before leaving.
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(Image: Anthony Devlin)
“Newcastle may have lost to Chelsea that day – but we ended up being the real victors. Watching Blind Date with our children Karen, now 39, and Gary, 34, I saw the numbers pop up on the screen. ‘Oh, I think we’ve won a tenner,’ I casually remarked.
“Karen dashed to fetch the ticket and the very first line I checked matched what had appeared on the TV – 5, 11, 12, 26, 29, 33. It was a shocker. But, as unbelievable as it sounds, just a week prior I’d told someone I was going to bag £2.7million on the lottery one day and that’s precisely what happened.
“It felt like destiny – only I didn’t anticipate it happening so soon.”
Gary and Karen rallied the neighbours and Elaine finally got in touch with a lady from the National Lottery who helped her calm down, reports the Mirror. “We then had a fantastic party, with Derek stumbling in at 2am,” she added. “He thought I was joking, but when he double-checked the numbers, he realised it was real. We tried to sleep, but our minds were buzzing so much that we were up again by 4am.
(Image: Anthony Devlin / SWNS)
“Going public was inevitable as someone leaked the news to the press. We journeyed to London to collect our cheque and participate in some media interviews. A representative from Drummonds Bank had £20,000 in cash in a briefcase, but I told him, ‘I’m not walking around London with that’. Instead, we visited Harrods and gave each of the kids £20!”
The pair also appeared on The Big Breakfast and Derek was so starstruck by Gaby Roslin that he couldn’t utter a word. Once the initial thrill subsided, they took a step back. “There were no lavish shopping trips,” Elaine revealed. “Instead, we used the money to purchase a dilapidated B&B in Lyme Regis, Dorset, which we transformed into five-star holiday cottages.
“We offered free holidays to families affected by cancer, which brought us immense happiness. After six wonderful years, we decided to sell as my brother Ian’s passing made the place remind me of him. A year later, we bought a restaurant, By The Bay, which we ran for six years.
(Image: Anthony Devlin / SWNS)
“Again, we loved providing opportunities for young people to gain work experience. Throughout it all, we’ve stayed grounded and focused on giving back. Eventually, we decided it was time to head back up north. But I kept myself busy, taking a job stacking shelves at Marks and Spencer.
“We’ve been smart with our money, so I didn’t need the extra income, but I loved the social aspect and routine. I know it’s not what you’d expect a lottery winner to be doing – especially as I had to rise at 2am. Now I’m retired, but I’m giving the house a fresh lick of paint from top to bottom. Derek is still grafting, but we’re planning to travel across Europe when he hangs up his boots.
“Throughout it all, we have tried to give back. I’ve particularly enjoyed the volunteer work I’ve done with the National Lottery, helping out various charities. Looking back, the win changed our lives for the better in so many ways. It’s provided security and opportunities we never would have had otherwise and my children became the first members of our family to go to university. I feel incredibly grateful for that every single day.”
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