A Nottingham woman is planning a trip to Egypt after winning £300,000 on a National Lottery scratchcard that she bought from her local shop whilst getting bread and milk. Karen Parkin, 51, says that she first started buying the scratch cards after seeing a lady winning £50,000 on one whilst queuing behind her in her local newsagents.
Whilst popping to Sonia Stores in Basford for essentials, Karen bought herself a scratchcard and returned home to see if she was a winner whilst watching The Chase. Before her win, Karen says she "couldn't justify" buying a new hosepipe after finding that hers had a leak, but she has now purchased one for £52 following her lottery win.
Karen Parkin said: "I still can't believe it. I normally get bad luck. This win is going to help me so much.
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"Only last week I found a leak in my hosepipe and couldn't justify buying a new one at £48. I've just been out and bought one for £52.
"I am constantly thinking about how to pay for things, putting £20 of fuel in the car rather than filling it up. Life will be less stressful…it just feels brilliant."
Speaking about the moment that she discovered her win on October 18, Karen said: "I scratched the first one and saw that I'd won and just sat there. I can't even remember if I scratched the second one, it's all a bit of a blur.
"I remember calling my friend Tony and asking him to pop round to help me check it. He said it looked like I was a winner, so I called the National Lottery line to claim.
"The lady on the phone confirmed that I was indeed a winner, and that someone would call me back shortly to guide me through the process. I then called my sister Rachael, asked her if she was sitting down and then told her my incredible news. I then called my Mum who thought something was wrong as I also asked if she was sitting down before telling her that I had some news.
"I wrapped [the scratch card] it in some tea towels and placed it in a drawer. It's safe to say I didn't sleep a wink that night."
Since Karen's win, she has already bought a new campervan and is planning a trip to Cairo with her mum. She said: "I have an old L reg VW camper and love it but with the win I have upgraded and can't wait to get out on my travels. I also love fishing, especially with my nephew Leo, so maybe I'll now drive further afield for my catch."
As well as the Egypt trip, The Maldives is also on the cards and Karen is also hoping to buy a new house in the near future. Karen also says that she wants to treat her two Bull Mastiff pets, Elvis and Vogue.
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