A grandmother-of-nine thought a phone call telling her she had won the lottery was a scam — before reacting with shock after being told she had won a share of £120,000.
Jackie Caul, 75, insisted ‘I’ll never change’ after the £60,000 windfall in the People’s Postcode Lottery and said the first winnings she’ll spend will be on a modest holiday to Blackpool.
Jackie told Metro.co.uk that she and her husband David, who live in Sheffield, south Yorkshire, will also share some of the money between their four daughters ‘who have always taken care of us’.
The couple, who have been married 59 years, will use their share as a ‘cushion to fall back on’ and restrict themselves to a holiday in Blackpool, 90 miles down the road, and possibly a cruise.
The seaside resort, where they have stayed at the Cliffs Hotel for the past 18 years, will be their first port of call.
‘When they rang me I thought it was a scam at first as it was an Edinburgh number,’ Jackie said.
‘They left a voicemail telling me to ring them back. When they told me I’d won I was shocked, I was trembling. I was with a friend and I said “I can’t believe I’ve won!”. I didn’t expect it all, they didn’t tell me how much it was at first so I had to wait a week with all the anticipation.’
The retired dinner lady told Metro.co.uk she is a ‘giver’ and her first thoughts were for her four daughters and nine grandchildren aged between two and 30.
‘Our daughters have been good to us over the years, they’ve always taken care of us,’ she said.
‘They’ve been lovely, so we’re going to make sure they are well looked after.
‘At our age there is nothing really we want. We are hopefully going to have a couple of holidays and it will be nice to have a cushion to fall back on knowing that there’s a bit of money there if we need it.’
Jackie and David, 82, have been on two cruises in the past, including to Norway, but have the staycation front of mind.
‘We love Blackpool and we usually go for a week,’ Jackie said.
‘I babysit quite a bit so it’s nice to do our own thing, relax and be waited on.
‘It’s just nice to get away from the everyday, run-of-the-mill.
‘We like the lovely fresh air, going to the shops and going on the tram.
‘We like to go around for a few hours then go back to the hotel for a bun and a coffee and just relax.’
Jackie had been playing with two tickets, each worth £30,000, with the overall amount being split between her and two neighbours.
Players enter the lottery with their postcode and pay £12 a month to be automatically entered into draws, with prizes announced every day.
‘We have never been well off, so it just takes a load off your shoulders to know you have a cushion to fall back on with the cost of living,’ Jackie said.
‘My friends have all said to me ‘you’ll never change” and I know I won’t. I’m a giver and a people person who can get on with anybody and likes to help people. Family comes first and that’s the most important thing.’
Postcode Lottery ambassador Judie McCourt was in Sheffield to visit Jackie.
Judie said: ‘It was a pleasure to surprise Jackie with a cheque for £60,000.
‘I’m sure she and David will have an absolutely fantastic time spending their prize. Local charities have something to celebrate too, thanks to People’s Postcode Lottery players. They have raised more than £1.1 billion for charities and thousands of local good causes.
‘One charity close to our winners is Sheffield Young Carers Project. Earlier this year it received £24,312 to support young carers across the area.
‘Neighbours win and charities win. It’s the ultimate win-win situation!’
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