£300k scratch card win for Pontypool family

Caroline Walsh was headed to a doctor’s appointment in Griffithstown when she picked up the Super 7s scratch card on a whim.

And, it turned out to be a great decision, as the 58-year-old won big.

The mother of two sons revealed that the money will be used to help the whole family, splitting the money three ways.

She said: “Thank goodness the doctor didn’t take my blood pressure in the appointment, it would have been through the roof.

“I wouldn’t have been able to tell her what was causing it because I wanted my sons to be the first to know.

“I spoke to my sons as soon as I got out of the surgery and they couldn’t believe it.

“We’re all in shock. They are both grown up and have children of their own so, the money will make such a difference to all of us.”

There is real cause for celebration for the Walsh family

Eldest son Chris said: “I couldn’t believe it when my mum called, I was absolutely ecstatic.

“£100K is an amazing amount of money and I can’t wait to put it towards a family holiday and plenty of treats for my partner and our children.”

Big win after tough period

It would be fair to say that the lottery win comes after a tough period for Ms Walsh and her family, after she lost her husband, Mike, to cancer in February 2021.

The shock of losing her husband of 34 years triggered a lupus attack for Caroline who ended up spending six weeks in hospital and while she was there, her bungalow flooded, leading to months of further disruption.

A former lollipop lady, she said: “Mike and I always used to play the National Lottery together and talk about what we’d do if we won.

“He would have loved all of this. He always said he wanted us to move to Spain if we won but for now, I think he’ll be happy knowing that I’m going to be taken care of.

“Last year was awful but things are definitely improving. The first thing I’m going to do is transform my garden. I want to make it into a space that’s easy to manage and somewhere I can enjoy when the sun shines.

“I’ve already bought some little treats for my grandchildren and I’m going to put some money aside for all of them.

“My husband and I have had a caravan for years in Brean Sands in Somerset. We had such a lovely community of friends there and I’m looking forward to going back to celebrate in a place where I have such happy memories.”

They have been handed a sizeable cheque

The winning scratch card was purchased from the Premier Express store on Windsor Road in Pontypool.

According to the National Lottery, the £3 card offers a one-in-3.52 chance of winning a prize, which ranges from £3 to £300,000.

A National Lottery spokesperson said: “By playing any National Lottery game, players generate more than £30M each week for National Lottery-funded projects.

“This money helps support everything from the local charity making a difference where you live through to helping our nation’s athletes win medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“To date, over £45BN has been raised for National Lottery Good Causes, with more than 660,000 individual grants awarded.”