A woman is saying ‘hello’ to a family holiday of a lifetime in Japan, a new house and new car and ‘goodbye’ to her second job after scooping £838,125.50 on EuroMillions. Sally-Ann, 55, is still in shock after matching all five main numbers plus one Lucky Star in the EuroMillions draw on Friday, December 2 - and didn't check her tickert for a month.
Before the win Sally-Ann had two jobs, a full-time role as an Assets Officer and shifts as a customer services assistant at Morrisons. In the lead up to Christmas, the busy mum found herself working 20 hours a week at Morrisons on top of her regular Monday to Friday 9-5.
She said, “I did have two jobs which was very tiring. The win means I’ll be able to have some of that time back and also help my family financially. With the extra time I now have, I can plan to do the things I’ve always wanted to do.
The win means saying goodbye to her second job and hello or ‘Konnichiwa’ to the Japanese holiday of a lifetime. Sally-Ann said, “I just love Japan, the lights, the automated machines, the cartoons, sumo, the food. I’ve never been and it has always been a dream I thought I’d never be able to fulfil. The win means I can visit Tokyo, Hiroshima and do it all during the Spring to see the beautiful blossom.”
Sally-Ann spoke of the moment she found out she had won, over a month after the draw, having forgotten, as usual, to check her ticket because she never thought she’d win.
She said, “Before I start every shift at Morrisons, I always buy some snacks and sometimes a National Lottery ticket. It was on a Saturday shift in January when I had a couple of minutes and thought I’d check my tickets.
“I rarely check them because I never think I’ll win but asked a colleague to scan and she said you need to call The National Lottery now and sign the ticket. I thought she was joking but I called during my break before returning for rest of my nine-hour shift, knowing I was £838,000 richer.
“Then all of a sudden lots of other staff members started to arrive at the kiosk asking about the win. Word had got round that someone had won big…and it was me.
“I called my son Jack and told him to come into the store as I had some news. He thought I’d lost the plot. I then called my daughter Sophie who also didn’t believe me. I then messaged my Mum telling her I’d won some money but not to bother about it until I was home and then she appeared as well.
“When I got home I was so tired I just went to bed. But we did celebrate as a family the following night with a take-away curry.”
During the week of her win Sally-Ann still worked her rota of five consecutive evening shifts before calling time on her role at Morrisons, however she will continue working at Cambridge City Council.
She said, “I’m now debt free, I’m buying a home having lived in social housing for years. I’m going to help Jack and Sophie to get onto the property ladder, buy a new car, probably a new Ford Fiesta as I don’t need anything bigger, go on a few holidays and plan the big trip to Japan.
Asked if she is continuing in one job, she said, “I’m only 55, I love my job and my colleagues at the Council. When I told my supervisor she cried. That’s how much of a team we are.”
Sally-Ann has a son Jack (27), a daughter Sophie (22) who both live at home. Sally-Ann forgot to check her ticket for over a month with Camelot, operators of The National Lottery, publicising the prize hadn’t been claimed and asking players to search for the life-changing missing ticket.
Sally-Ann is a regular EuroMillions player and buys a ticket every week. She always buys a Lucky Dip. The winning EuroMillions numbers for the draw on Friday 2 December 2022 were 12, 21, 35, 39 and 45 and Lucky Stars 6 and 11.
Players can buy and check their tickets online by downloading the National Lottery app or at national-lottery.co.uk.
