A LOTTERY winner who scooped a £1million jackpot has revealed the poignant reason she went back to working her normal job.
Marion Wood told of her “love” for her work with the NHS – and how even her “amazing” Lotto win would not keep her away.
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And she revealed she was inspired to keep going by her tragic experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, working at Northampton General Hospital.
She powered on with her day job despite landing a share of a £1million National Lottery prize in March last year.
She and her friend Michael Williams pocketed £500,000 apiece after the syndicate they had together matched five main numbers and the bonus ball.
The pair, living in Northampton but both originally from Wales, initially thought they had won just £1,000.
She described how she then had a cup of tea “in stunned silence” as the penny dropped about their £1million windfall.
She recalled: “I didn’t tell a soul at first – I just carried on as normal, holding on to the lucky ticket wherever I went.
“I kept the ticket in my diary, which I keep in my purse, until the lady from Camelot visited to check it and confirmed that Michael and I actually were big winners.”
And her down-to-earth approach continued when opting for a return to work.
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She admitted it had been an ordeal to keep working at the hospital through the pandemic.
She said: “Working through Covid in the NHS has been tough.
“The amount of work has increased and unfortunately I have lost many family and friends.
“However, work has kept me going – I love my job and I won’t be leaving even after this amazing win.
“I want to carry on as normal for a bit – I’m from an army family and routine is important to me.”
But she did plan to “treat” herself to some jewellery – while retired construction worker Mr Williams, a dad-of-three, was intent on buying a first car for 41 years.
They had based their choice of winning numbers on the birthdays of friends and family members.
The first National Lottery draw was held on November 19 1994 when seven winners shared a jackpot of £5,874,778.
The largest amount ever to be won by a single ticket-holder was £42m, won in 1996.
Gareth Bull, a 49-year-old builder, pocketed £41m in November 2020 and ended up knocking down his bungalow to make way for a luxury manor house with a pool.
The biggest jackpot ever for grabs was £66m in January last year, shared between two fortunate ticket-holders.
Meanwhile, Dukinfield near Manchester has been identified as the luckiest place in the UK to play the lottery.
The town landed the Millionaire Street prize in June handing residents £55,555 each – after the area also took a cut of a £3m Postcode Millions windfall five years ago.
Britain’s biggest lottery winners include Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucestershire, who scooped £184m in a EuroMillions draw in May last year.
A previous winner who took home £170m remained anonymous.
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