Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Mother wins £300,000 Lottery prize one year after losing her husband

Caroline Walsh, 58, realised she had won while she was waiting for a doctor’s appointment.

Max McLean
Sunday 10 April 2022 14:34 EDT
Caroline Walsh, 58, celebrates winning £300,000 on the National Lottery Scratchcard (Steve Pope/Fotowales)
Caroline Walsh, 58, celebrates winning £300,000 on the National Lottery Scratchcard (Steve Pope/Fotowales)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A mother who lost her husband to cancer in 2021 has won £300,000 through the National Lottery with her two sons.

Caroline Walsh, 58, from Pontypool in Wales, bought a Super 7s Scratchcard on the way to a doctor’s appointment, realising she had won the top prize while sitting in the surgery waiting room.

Ms Walsh plays the National Lottery with her sons, who will each take a share of the spoils.

The former lollipop lady lost her husband Mike to cancer in 2021 – she then had a lupus attack, and, while in hospital, her bungalow flooded.

“Mike and I always used to play the National Lottery together and talk about what we’d do if we won,” she said.

“He would have loved all of this. He always said he wanted us to move to Spain if we won but for now, I think he’ll be happy knowing that I’m going to be taken care of.”

Ms Walsh said she plans to use her winnings to transform her garden.

“Last year was awful, but things are definitely improving,” she said.

“The first thing I’m going to do is transform my garden. I want to make it into a space that’s easy to manage and somewhere I can enjoy when the sun shines.

“I’ve already bought some little treats for my grandchildren and I’m going to put some money aside for all of them.

“My husband and I have had a caravan for years in Brean Sands in Somerset. We had such a lovely community of friends there and I’m looking forward to going back to celebrate in a place where I have such happy memories.”

He’ll be happy knowing that I’m going to be taken care of

Caroline Walsh on her husband Mike, who died in 2021

Meanwhile Chris, 40, Ms Walsh’s eldest son, said he would be putting some of the money towards a family holiday.

“I couldn’t believe it when my mum called, I was absolutely ecstatic,” he said.

“£100K is an amazing amount of money and I can’t wait to put it towards a family holiday and plenty of treats for my partner and our children.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in