AN avid Elvis fan from South Ockendon is ‘All Shook Up’ after scooping one of the 25 £1,000,000 Millionaire Raffle prizes in the EuroMillions New Year’s Eve draw. The winning Raffle selection was GRK090143.
Vera Webber, 69, a retired data-inputter, is still reeling from the win, especially as she initially thought her New Year windfall was £20,000, not a whopping, life-changing £1million.
Vera was busy celebrating New Year’s Eve with friends so didn’t realise she had started 2014 as a millionaire until the following day when she decided to check her numbers online. She said: “There were about twenty of us welcoming in 2014 and I have to admit, the following day I was feeling a touch jaded. While I was pottering about later that afternoon I decided to check my Lucky Dip ticket online. I saw my numbers didn’t match so worked my way down to the Raffle selection, and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw mine matched one of the 25 winning lines. I must have looked about ten times before ringing my daughter, Julie, to get her to double check.”
Vera must have been slightly more jaded than she thought from the previous night’s festivities as she initially believed her win was £20,000. It was only when Julie called her back and said: “Mum, it’s not £20,000, you’re a millionaire”, that she realised the magnitude of her win.
“It is amazing,” said Vera. “Ever since Julie told me how much I’d really won it has been a series of celebrations and good old fashioned knees up with my family. As soon as I called through the win and it was verified by Camelot I gathered all the family, including my six grandchildren, to announce that I’d become a millionaire and I was taking them all to Disneyland Florida for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. Being able to make that announcement was a feeling I’ll never forget but it took some convincing to get them to believe me – I think they thought I’d finally lost the plot!”
Despite what her family may have thought when she announced her win, Vera is not losing the plot and has her feet firmly on the ground. She has no immediate plans to move house or start buying fast cars, instead she is revelling in the security that the win has bought. She said:
“I have always worked hard and really know the value of money so I’m not planning on frittering this win away. That said, I do love my bowls and line dancing so there may be a few pennies put to those hobbies and of course my Elvis obsession.”
Vera has been an Elvis fan since she first heard him on the radio when she was just 13. She has an enviable collection of memorabilia and has even made the pilgrimage to Graceland. With her future now secure she is already thinking about a second, more lengthy trip, to Graceland and might start scouring the Elvis auctions for a few more choice pieces for her collection.
“I can’t even remember buying my Lucky Dip ticket for the draw and suddenly, here I am starting 2014 with a £1,000,000 in the bank. In Blue Suede Shoes, Elvis sang ‘Well, it’s one for the money, Two for the show, Three to get ready, Now go, cat, go.’ I can assure you, with this money, this cat is definitely go, go, go!”
The winning ticket was bought in Tesco Extra, Lakeside. The winning EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle selection was GRK090143.
