Hospice volunteer wins the jackpot

Sarah Waddell (65), from Birkdale, is in for a very happy Christmas after winning the £1,000 jackpot in the St. Joseph’s Hospice lottery.

After playing the lottery for five years, and winning the odd tenner along the way, Sarah got the call she’d only dreamt of from lottery administrator, Cathy Cusack.

Every Friday, Cathy has the rewarding job of processing the weekly lottery draw and calling all the lucky winners to give them the good news.

Last month, she was delighted when the jackpot winner was none other than one of the hospice’s long standing volunteers.

Sarah donates her time every Thursday afternoon, helping the hospice’s sites and services manager, Nessa, with a range of administration tasks. She said: “I was worried, at first, when I got a call from the hospice at home as they usually call my mobile number. I still can’t believe I won the main prize and, at the time, I really couldn’t take it in.

“One thousand pounds is a lot of money and will make a very big difference to me and my family this Christmas. I was going away that night to see some friends down south so I took some bubbles to celebrate.

“The lottery is a fantastic way to support the hospice as you don’t miss £1 a week but to win a lump sum like that is absolutely brilliant.

“I love volunteering at the hospice. There is nowhere like it. The way they all treat the patients and their families is just incredible and I am very proud to volunteer there.”

Cathy Cusack, lottery administrator, said: “Making that weekly call every Friday is the best part of my job and it was wonderful to be able to give Sarah the good news. I hope she and her family have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy every penny.

“We’re always looking for new lottery players as it’s a great way of supporting the hospice as it provides some regular income for us. We have a £1,000 jackpot up for grabs every single week, as well as a number of smaller cash prizes. If you’d like to join, just give me a call of fill in the form on our website.”

For more information about the hospice lottery, contact Cathy on 0151 932 6025 or email cathy.cusack@jospice.org.uk.