A MUM says she is on “cloud nine” after scooping £3million on a scratchcard she bought in Rochford.

Carer Susan Richards, 49, had just finished a night shift when she popped into Sainsburys in West Street to pick up some food.

On a whim, she decided to buy a £10 ticket and hit the jackpot.

Susan, who has been a carer for 3 years, said: “It would be an understatement to say I am on cloud nine, I’m on cloud 3million! I just can’t believe it’s happened to little old me but looking back, it’s almost like fate had decided I was going to win.

“It all started with me even being in the shop. It had been a long night shift and I really was in two minds whether to go into the supermarket - thank goodness I did.

“Then I wasn’t going to treat myself to the scratchcard but when I put my hand in my pocket I pulled out the exact change, four £2, one £1, one 50p, a couple of 20p’s and a 10p. Taking this as a sign I had a quiet chuckle to myself and bought the treat and left the shop.”

The mum-of-two decided to play the £250 Million Cash Spectacular Scratchcard before heading home and sat in her car scratching off the panels.

As the numbers were revealed, she knew she had won but when she scratched off the prize amount to see “£3MIL” it was then it dawned on her that she had become a millionaire.

She said: “I was in a total state of shock. I got out of the car and went back into the store where I asked to see the manager. I think he must have realised by the look on my face that something serious had happened especially after I showed the scratchcard to him! He was so kind and helped me ring Camelot from the office so that they could verify the win and confirm I was the winner of £3million.”

There is a one in three chance of winning a prize with this scratchcard ranging from £10 to the top prize of £3million.
With the win verified, Susan went back to her car and immediately called her partner of 10 years, Barry, to share the phenomenal news.

Susan said: “Barry could tell something was up as soon as he heard my voice and he jokingly said, ‘what’s up, you sound like you’ve got a feather in your knickers?’ to which I replied, ‘I’ve got a blooming big feather in my knickers, in fact it’s a £3million feather in my knickers’! I quickly explained what I meant, he whooped with joy and we agreed to meet back at the house.”

When Barry Maddox, 56, and Susan’s two sons arrived home she shared the news properly and they all started to laugh and joke about the future.

Susan announced she was “a millionaire” and the family joked she was actually now a mutli-millionaire with her eye-watering win.
With the money now in the bank, Susan can start to make plans for the future, plans which include a few lifelong wishes and plenty of stability for her family.

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Susan said: “There are a few ‘when I win the lottery’ dreams I’ve always had and that I can now put into action. Top of that list is a motorhome so we can pack up and hit the road anytime we want. And of course we’ll need a new house with a decent driveway to park it on so we will be house-hunting this week. It doesn’t need to be huge, a nice three or four bedroom, but it must have a swimming pool! And the last bit of my shopping list is a nice Audi TT cabriolet.”

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But generous Susan will also look after her two boys.

She added: “We are a really close family and we’ve always been there for one another. At last I’m in a position to make the future secure and stable for everyone. My two boys will get a helping hand onto the property ladder, although if I get that place with a pool the temptation to stay with mum might be too great!”

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“IT WAS A MESSAGE FROM MY DAD”

THE life-changing win was bittersweet for Susan who lost her father ten years ago.

But she says she got a sign from her beloved dad as she returned home with the news of the win.

Arriving home first, Susan parked up and sat in the car gathering her thoughts, trying to take in the magnitude of what had happened, and it was then that another little bit of ‘magic’ struck.

Susan said: “We lost my dad ten years ago. He was wonderful and I still miss him everyday but he always used to say he’d win the lottery and take us all to the States when he did.

Sadly it didn’t happen for him but as I sat there in my car trying to compute I’d won £3million, a little white feather drifted down onto the windscreen. I don’t care what anyone says, that was my dad letting me know he was celebrating for me up there!”

It’s a wish Susan will fulfill in memory of her dad as she plans to take her family to the States to complete the promise her dad made for so many years.

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SUSAN'S LOTTERY SHOPPING LIST

  • Three or four bed house with a swimming pool
  • Audi TT
  • Motorhome

LOTTERY PROJECTS HELPED IN ROCHFORD

In Rochford alone there have been more than 235 individual National Lottery grants made to date, funding projects across the arts, sports, heritage, health, education, environment, charity and voluntary sectors.
National Lottery funding has helped:

- 4th Rochford Scout Group to remove a corrugated asbestos roof on their scout hut and replace it with an environmentally insulated new roof.

- Essex Disabled People's Association to provide basic IT training courses to people with disabilities. The courses will give beneficiaries the skills to use IT independently and effectively.

  • For more information on National Lottery funding please visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk.