A mum-to-be has won an eye-watering £838,000 jackpot ahead of Christmas and vows to half it with her “best friend” parents.
Lauren Tomlinson, 33, had thought that 2024 was a year full of bad luck.
Until Saturday 14 December.
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The mum-to-be was overwhelmed when she got a knock on her door revealing that she was the winner of a whopping £836,114, reports What’s The Jam.
After taking it all in, Lauren, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, made the heartwarming decision to split the jackpot with her parents, Andrea, 57, who was also diagnosed with cancer this year, and her dad, Darren, 58, who recently suffered a serious stroke.
“I’m absolutely gobsmacked, this is beyond words,” the baker, from Rotherham, said.
“It is life-changing. I have absolutely unreal emotions.
“This is going to change our lives forever.
“It was a monumentally changed Christmas.”
Lauren, who bought two tickets to enter the People’s Postcode Lottery, was presented with two cheques; totalling £418,057.
Though initially suffering a tough year, things started to already look up a few months ago when she, along with partner Brandon, 24, found out they were expecting – despite all the odds being against this.
Lauren, whose baby is due in June, said: “I had my third operation this year and I didn’t even know if I could have kids.
“The doctors said I would have difficulty and, if I did get pregnant, I might not keep it.
“But I’m four months gone [now].
“My mum was diagnosed with kidney cancer and had it removed.
“She’s been given the all-clear.
“Three weeks after that, my dad had a massive stroke, but he’s very slowly getting better.
“But we just get by, as you do.”
Currently, she designs and bakes speciality cakes with her mum in a cabin in the back garden of her home.
Now, though, she plans to use her winnings to expand her business, Tomo’s Cakes, by opening its very own shop in the South Yorkshire town.
But that’s not all she’s got on the cards.
Lauren said: “We’re so busy with the cakes.
“I can buy a shop now, that’s 100 per cent on the cards.
“I don’t even know what I’m going to do with this money [otherwise].
“I’ll look after Mum and Dad and go on holiday.
“I want to go to Thailand and Jamaica.
“I’ve always wanted to go to Jamaica, I love Bob Marley.
“But we’ll wait until after the baby is born.”
Lauren deciding to half the money with her mum, who is also her best friend, was a no-brainer.
She said: “I take her everywhere with me every day and share everything.
“My mum and I are absolutely best friends and do everything together.
“We work together and live together.
“We go out shopping in the day and drinking at night.
“She’s my bestie.”
The happy family weren’t the only ones who won big, though.
More than 550 other people won in the S65 3 postcode out of the £17.5m prize.
Jackpot winner, Lauren, was also happy to learn that her partner’s brother and wife also won £24,266, who are planning on a month-long family trip to Florida.
Audrey Jaeger-Cooper, 53, who scooped £418,000, is hoping to treat her husband, Wayne, 53, to his dream “Batman” car – a Toyota CRV – and a trip to the Maldives, as well as buying her sister a brand new front door.
She said: “I would have been happy with £5,000.
“I’m still in shock, it just means so much and it can help so many people.
“I might be able to spoil people a bit more now, get them some extra presents.
“It will be a very merry Christmas for us, and for so many people in Rotherham winning, too.”
Wayne added: “It’s life-changing.
“The things you can do with that – endless possibilities.
“I never dreamt of anything like this before.”
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