Lesley Holmes from St Giles Hospice with lottery winner Jo Bayliss

A Burntwood health worker is celebrating after scooping £2,000 in a local charity’s lottery.

Jo Bayliss has played the St Giles Hospice lottery every week since it launched in 1997.

And after 19 years of trying she has finally landed the jackpot – but didn’t know about it until a cheque arrived through the post after organisers were unable to contact her by phone.

Lesley Holmes from St Giles Hospice with lottery winner Jo Bayliss
Lesley Holmes from St Giles Hospice with lottery winner Jo Bayliss

“It certainly was a pleasant surprise,” said the 45-year-old, who works at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton. “I’ve won two or three £5 vouchers in the past but never anything more than that, so it came as a complete shock to receive £2,000 in the post!

“I used to play the National Lottery but the odds of winning that are pretty remote and although it raises money for good causes, it doesn’t necessarily support the ones you would pick yourself. So when the opportunity came along to join the St Giles Hospice Lottery instead it was something I was really keen to do.

“The hospice provides a fantastic service for people in this area and I have known a few people who have benefited from its care – so I appreciate it’s a good cause that needs support from the local community.”

Now Jo and partner Kevin are facing a happy dilemma as they work out how to use their windfall.

She said: “We haven’t decided how to spend the money yet and we’re swinging between putting it towards a holiday, maybe to Dubai, or using it to pay for some work that needs doing around the house.

“It’s a choice between the frivolous and the practical.”

The St Giles Hospice Lottery costs £1 a week to play, and gives away 175 weekly prizes totalling over £3,000 – including a £2,000 jackpot for one lucky winner.

Since its creation, the lottery has raised more than £15million for the Whittington-based charity, payin for the care of one in nine patients.

Alison Jerram, from St Giles Hospice, said: “We’d like to congratulate Jo on her jackpot win and express our gratitude to her for supporting us for so many years.

“You never can tell when that big prize will come and in the past we’ve had lucky winners scoop the jackpot within weeks of signing up for the lottery – but in Jo’s case we’re delighted that her persistence and loyalty have finally paid off.”

To find out more about joining the St Giles Hospice Lottery, visit www.stgileshospice.com/lottery or call 01543 434020.

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.