Demelza's first Superdraw winner of 2023!
28th February 2023
Long-time Demelza supporter Amy, 42 is our first Superdraw jackpot winner of 2023! The mum-of-two from Tonbridge found out she’d won our top prize of £25,000 just a few days before the end of January.
“I was utterly dumbfounded,” shared Amy. “The lady who phoned me to tell me the good news, Sue, must have thought I was so ungrateful! I couldn’t process it, I was answering her questions like a robot.”
Amy has been playing the Demelza Lottery for nearly ten years, having signed up to play the Lotto while visiting a local fair with her family in 2014. “I remember it really clearly. The Demelza Lottery team were there and they were giving out free teddies,” she said, “so I stopped to see if I could get one for my daughter, Holly. I got chatting to the team on the stand, and when I came to understand their mission, I had to sign up to support them straight away. Anyone can appreciate how important their work is to families, but as a parent I was especially empathetic to it.”
Originally signing up to play the Lotto, Amy later joined the Superdraw as well; and despite changing circumstances with family and work, she kept up her weekly donations to Demelza. “After my second child, Joshua, was born, I stopped working – I had to spend quite carefully during that time, but it was important to me that no matter what, that support for Demelza carried on.”
Now, ten years on, Amy’s long-time support has been rewarded! “I never viewed it as something that would pay off for me in the long run, I just saw it as a standing donation – so I’m totally shocked that we’ve won this huge amount of money.” When she broke the news to her husband, Matt, his reaction was as disbelieving as hers. “He just stared at me, then we both started giggling; before long we were both in hysterics, it didn’t feel real.”
The couple plan on saving the money to put towards Holly and Joshua’s future, providing some certainty and stability at a time when they are in short supply. “We also wanted to make a donation back to Demelza, it was a bigger donation than we ever would have been able to make before. Demelza has totally changed our lives with this win, it’s only right that we give some of it back to fund their vital services.”
Amy wants to use her win to encourage other players to sign up to the Demelza Lottery as well. "We have never questioned donating that £8 a month to Demelza; you barely notice the difference to your bank account, but you just know it makes a difference to families who are going through the unimaginable.”