Cornwall man has 'best and worst' week of his life with £100k lottery win after mum's death
A man from Cornwall has hailed a lottery win as a "sign from above" after winning £100k during a very difficult week.
Simon Wilcock from Helston in Cornwall lost his beloved mother to cancer days before hitting the jackpot in an online lottery game.
The 44-year-old signwriter describes the time as both "the best and worst week of my life".
Simon now says he is positive that his late mother Alison had a part to play in his luck turning around the weekend after she passed away.
“I normally play Instant Win Games on my phone,” said the father of two, who was watching telly when he decided to try his luck.
“I have an order in which I play the games in, as they show up on my phone screen. I don’t usually play £100,000 Jackpot Yellow but for some reason I did this time and I’m so glad that I went for it.
"Maybe it was a sign from above, as I certainly feel that Mum was looking down on me and I know she would be over the moon just like my dad is.”
Simon shares two sons with his wife Becky, who is a key worker. The win is life-changing for the family who say they're now able to move to a bigger family home in the area.
"We’ve been looking to move, but prices in this area are horrendous." Simon said.
"The four of us have just outgrown our 3-bedroom home and this win takes the pressure off, in terms of being able to afford somewhere new.”
41-year-old health visitor Becky was the first person Simon told when he realised he hadn’t won his usual £5, before breaking the news to his father.
Simon says he had some trouble convincing his dad and his friends that he had come into the money as he's known as "a bit of a kidder".
Simon concluded, “It’s been such a strange year for us all. Becky and I worked flat-out throughout the lockdown. I had a few weeks where I couldn’t open the shop and was taking care of the home schooling, but as soon as I could reopen, there was plenty of need for our services, which I’m very grateful for.
"Losing mum after her valiant eighteen-month fight against cancer is obviously the biggest, most horrendous downside of the year, for all of us as a family. She is a huge loss and this has given us just a glimmer of happiness.”
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