Joanne's Jackpot Joy

A laundry assistant from Abertillery in Gwent, Wales has cleaned up in great style thanks to a jackpot Lotto win worth £1,146,742 on 28 April.

Joanne Gilbert, who has worked for Llanfrechfa Grange Hospital in Cwmbran for over twenty years, was enjoying some time away from the hustle and bustle of daily life at her caravan in Weston-Super-Mare when she discovered the win. After putting her five year old grandson Rhys to bed, she returned to the lounge and flicked on the small television and happened to see the National Lottery draw taking place live.

"The Lotto draw was happening on the TV, so I decided to get a pen and paper to check the numbers," Joanne said. "All of a sudden I realised I’d written down all six of my regular numbers.

"I know them off by heart, as I’ve been playing with those numbers since the lottery started – I chose them from a mixture of family birthdays. I play without fail every single week, even if it’s the last pound coin in my purse."

"I went to see my friends Kay and Tony who stay in the caravan pitch next to mine, and we all just stood there looking at the ticket in disbelief."

Joanne is the latest in a long string of lottery winners in Gwent. On Saturday 7 April mum of three Jennifer Southall won a jackpot worth £8,372,751. In January a supermarket worker won £1,173,269 and last year Gwent players won two jackpots worth £2,470,696 and £11,544,846.

"The win still hasn’t sunk in, and I’ll need to think very carefully about what I want to do with the money," Joanne said. “But one thing that has always been at the top of my list is a trip to Disneyland in America – I’m a big kid really. My mum and dad are so pleased and excited for me, the whole thing is just unbelievable."

Article Last Updated: 02/08/2007