Cambourne mum-of-two who did two jobs celebrates £838,000 EuroMillions win

A mother-of-two from Cambourne who has been working two jobs is planning to buy a home following years in social housing after scooping more than £800,000 on EuroMillions.

Sally-Ann Hanitzsch, 55, won with a ticket she bought from the town’s Morrisons supermarket, where she worked shifts as a customer services assistant while also working full-time as an assets officer at Cambridge City Council.

The 55-year-old won £838,125.50 after matching all five main numbers plus one Lucky Star in the EuroMillions draw on December 2, but did not realise until more than a month later.

In the run-up to Christmas, the busy mum worked 20 hours a week at the supermarket on top of her regular Monday to Friday 9-5.

Sally-Ann, whose son Jack, 27, and daughter Sophie, 22, both live at home, said: “I did have two jobs which was very tiring. The win means I’ll be able to have some of that time back and also help my family financially. With the extra time I now have, I can plan to do the things I’ve always wanted to do.

“I’m now debt free, I’m buying a home, having lived in social housing for years. I’m going to help Jack and Sophie to get onto the property ladder, buy a new car, probably a new Ford Fiesta as I don’t need anything bigger, go on a few holidays and plan the big trip to Japan.”

The win means saying goodbye to her second job and Konnichiwa to the Japanese holiday of a lifetime.

Sally-Ann said: “I just love Japan, the lights, the automated machines, the cartoons, sumo, the food.

“I’ve never been and it has always been a dream I thought I’d never be able to fulfil. The win means I can visit Tokyo, Hiroshima and do it all during the spring to see the beautiful blossoms.”

Sally-Ann spoke of the moment she found out she had won, over a month after the draw, having forgotten, as usual, to check her ticket because she never thought she’d win.

She said: “Before I start every shift at Morrisons, I always buy some snacks and sometimes a National Lottery ticket. It was on a Saturday shift in January when I had a couple of minutes and thought I’d check my tickets.

“I rarely check them because I never think I’ll win but asked a colleague to scan and she said you need to call The National Lottery now and sign the ticket. I thought she was joking but I called during my break before returning for the rest of my nine-hour shift, knowing I was £838,000 richer.

“Then all of a sudden lots of other staff members started to arrive at the kiosk asking about the win. Word had got round that someone had won big…and it was me.”

“I called my son Jack and told him to come into the store as I had some news. He thought I’d lost the plot. I then called my daughter Sophie who also didn’t believe me. I then messaged my mum telling her I’d won some money but not to bother about it until I was home and then she appeared as well.

“When I got home I was so tired I just went to bed. But we did celebrate as a family the following night with a takeaway curry.”

During the week of her win Sally-Ann still worked her rota of five consecutive evening shifts, before calling time on her role at Morrisons. However, she will continue working at Cambridge City Council.

Asked if she is continuing in one job, she said: “I’m only 55, I love my job and my colleagues at the council. When I told my supervisor she cried. That’s how much of a team we are.”

Before Sally discovered her win, Camelot, operator of The National Lottery, had been publicising that the prize had not been claimed and asked players to search for the life-changing missing ticket.

Sally-Ann is a regular EuroMillions player and always buys a Lucky Dip. She got the numbers 12, 21, 35, 39 and 45 with Lucky Stars 6 and 11.

Players can buy and check their tickets online by downloading the National Lottery app or at national-lottery.co.uk. Players can also buy and check tickets at retail outlets.

Playing online via the app or website means that your ticket is checked, and you get an email notification if you win a prize. You can also scan your retail tickets on the National Lottery app to check if you're a winner.