Sisters celebrations split Scratchcard win in two – quite literally

It was just a lucky feeling which led Lucy Dixon, 46, to nip out and buy a scratchcard one evening. Little did she know that the card would deliver a £300,000 win for her and her younger sister Annie, 38. It was late Saturday when Lucy bought the card.

“I just decided I wanted to buy a scratchcard. I don’t know why, I just felt lucky. I popped into the local Tesco and by 9:40pm I was back home. I scratched it straight away and just stood there checking and checking and checking. I then started to panic and rushed around to my sister Annie’s house for her to check it.”

Before they knew it the sisters were screaming and jumping in the air. And it was the energetic celebrations which saw the card end up in pieces.

“The scratchcard had been folded in my pocket and so when we jumped up in the air together the ticket ripped in half along the fold."

“We ran back to Tesco with the two halves to double check the win as the shop shuts at 10pm. We got there with only minutes to spare and the lady checked the code for us. It matched and she told me to call The National Lottery in the morning. We started jumping again there in the middle of the shop and there was more screaming too.”

The sisters went home and Lucy called her eldest daughter Annie and both started to cry tears of joy. The news quickly spread to her other daughter Kelly and the rest of the family.

Lucy said, “I still didn’t really believe it all. That night I slept with the card underneath my pillow. I didn’t sleep very well as I spent most of the night waking up to check it wasn’t a dream and that the scratchcard was still there safely hidden.”

Sister Annie said, “It’s all a bit bonkers. Neither of us have any luck, so this feeling is a bit unusual. It feels strange and yet fantastic. It’s great to feel that we have a huge financial cushion now for both our families. It is a lovely amount to treat ourselves and put some away for the future. It just takes a lot of stress away.”

Lucy bought the ticket on Saturday 8th April. When validating any major prize, Camelot has to ensure that the winner is the rightful ticket-holder. As the card was ripped in two, a range of security checks had to take place. A Camelot spokesperson said, “We are so glad to be able to pay the sisters this life changing sum. It is essential that we ensure we are paying the rightful ticket-holder, and in situations like this, it can take a little time for these investigations to take place.”

Lucy said, “I can’t believe I ripped the scratchcard but when you’ve just won £300,000 you have to celebrate hard.”

The sisters are now deciding what to do with their winnings. Lucy, a full time mum who has five children and five grandchildren, said, “I want to treat my family to a holiday, maybe Spain. I’ve never been abroad, only to Ireland where my parents come from. I don’t know about the rest…I haven’t passed my driving test so unlike Annie I won’t be buying a car.”

Annie, who works for Mencap and is married with two children, said, “I’ve bought an Alfa Romeo. It just looks lovely. We’ll also go on holiday and I’ll treat the kids. We will also have an extra special celebration for our parents who celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this year.”