“I first learned about Demelza when I met a nurse who used to work for them, about ten years ago. Despite leaving the charity, she was still deeply passionate about the work they were doing. As someone who had never heard of Demelza before then, I was blown away by the stories she told me in the short time I knew her.

I try to do my bit for charity as I’ve lived a good life myself. After my first conversation with that nurse, I immediately shifted a lot of my efforts to Demelza’s charity shops. I donated toys and games, old books, and other valuables I no longer needed to support their fundraising efforts.

Shortly after this, I was at a local fair and noticed a Demelza Lottery stand where they were signing people up to play the Lotto and Superdraw – I had no idea charities did such a thing! I signed up on the spot, and I’ve been playing ever since. I think I even got a free gift for signing up.”

This is Miriam’s first win since she started playing seven years ago. “I never expected to get the call telling me I’d won,” said Miriam. “I don’t play it to win, I play it to support Demelza’s work.” In the spirit of that support, Miriam’s first big spend after learning she had won was a £3000 donation back to Demelza! This hugely generous gift is enough to cover a weekend of care (and fun activities) for a child when they come in for a short break at one of our hospices.

Miriam and her partner Terry also plan to put their winnings toward a well-deserved trip to New York, something they have wanted to do together for many years – “It’s now firmly on the cards, we’ve started planning just this week!”

“We hope our story will inspire more people to sign up to the Demelza Lottery – not because there’s a chance to win, but because you’ll be supporting an amazing charity every week. There’s no more worthy cause than children’s hospice care in our opinion. These children and their families have had an unimaginably difficult start in life, but Demelza make sure they go on to have positive experiences; we’re glad to support that work.”