A Lichfield grandmother is celebrating after winning £2,000 in a charity competition.
Eighty-four-year-0ld Joan Corner scooped the jackpot in the St Giles Hospice Lottery.
She has played the game for ten years and admits she never expected to scoop the top prize.
Joan explained:
“It was a wonderful surprise and I’m still on cloud nine, to be honest. I’ve been playing the Hospice Lottery for many years and I’ve only ever won the odd £5 here and there. I never expected to win anything big so to find out I had won the jackpot was absolutely fantastic.
“I have been planning to redecorate my lounge for quite some time and my son was going to help me towards the cost, but now he doesn’t have to. It couldn’t have come at a better time!”
Joan has been a supporter of St Giles Hospice for almost as long as the local charity has been in existence. She resolved to do what she could to help St Giles after her aunt received care at the hospice towards the end of her life more than 25 years ago.
She said:
“It has been a long time now but I still remember the experience well, and the treatment my aunt received was absolutely fantastic. One thing I remember in particular was that after she had gone, the hospice staff left a red rose on her pillow next to her, which was her favourite flower. It was such a lovely gesture.
“St Giles Hospice does so much good work for the local community and they really care about patients and their families – and for me, playing the lottery is a great way to show your support for this wonderful cause.”
The St Giles Hospice Lottery gives away over £3,000 in prizes every week – including a £2,000 jackpot for one lucky winner like Joan – and it costs £1 a week to take part. All lottery players receive the St Giles Hospice Lottery Discount Card, which saves them around 10 per cent on goods and services at more than 130 shops and businesses across the region, while those signing up for a year’s membership can claim Sophie, the lottery bear, as a thank-you for their support.
Since it was established in 1997, the competition has raised more than £10.5million for hospice care and is one of the most successful lotteries of its kind.