Hospice Lottery winners’ honeymoon joy!

A couple who scooped the £2,000 top prize in the St Catherine’s Hospice just weeks before they were due to tie the knot put their winnings towards a fabulous Greek honeymoon followed by a brilliant bash back home.
Wendy and Gareth Houghton had always planned to celebrate their nuptials on the beautiful island of Kefalonia, but the last-minute bonus meant they had more money for holiday spends.

The couple, who have been playing the St Catherine’s Hospice Lottery for around seven years, were also able to splash more cash on their reception party in Preston – hiring hit singer-songwriter Stephen Bayliss to perform at the party at Preston BAC club.
Hairdresser Wendy, aged 49, said: “We’d always wanted to get married abroad and we’d been saving up to pay for our dream wedding.
“Winning the hospice lottery gave us some extra spending money so we could splash out a bit more on our honeymoon, and it also allowed us to make our party back home with friends and relatives who hadn’t come to the wedding even more special.
“Having Stephen Bayliss perform was so fantastic and really made it a night to remember.”
Gareth added: “It was an absolutely brilliant night – the place was packed and the extra entertainment made it very special.
“We never expected to win the jackpot, but the timing really was amazing!”

Gareth and Wendy, who live in Fulwood, are regular players of the St Catherine’s Hospice Lottery, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary.
To mark their milestone year, the hospice in Lostock Hall is asking people across Chorley, Longridge, Preston and South Ribble to send them a birthday present by signing up to play.
The lottery department is also appealing for existing members like the Houghtons to buy a second number – doubling a player’s chances of winning, at the same time as raising more cash to support the care the hospice provides to people battling life-limiting illnesses.
Site manager Gareth, aged 47, said: “I’m more than happy to take on a second number with the St Catherine’s Lottery.
“I played the National Lottery twice a week all last year, and didn’t win a thing! But being a member of the St Catherine’s Hospice Lottery is about much more than the prizes – the most important thing is the money it raises to support their wonderful work, and every penny and pound counts.
“I’ve had two uncles be looked after there – it’s such a good place, which does such a great job. If we can help support that by playing the lottery, we’re more than happy to.”
Sheila Kennard, Head of Lottery at St Catherine’s Hospice, thanked supporters like the Houghtons, and added: ” Knowing that we can rely on the subscriptions paid by lottery members each month really helps St Catherine’s Hospice to budget and plan for the future.
“We raise £0.5m profit through the lottery and associated events the Christmas raffle and the car raffle each year, which is a huge boost towards the £4.9m it costs to run the hospice each year.
“We’d love it if people wanted to follow the Houghtons’ example and sign up to become lottery members to celebrate our 20th anniversary year. And if all the people out there who already play with one number also paid for a second number each week, we’d raise an extra £735,000 this year! It all helps support the specialised palliative and end of life care we offer to people with life-limiting illnesses across the area.”
To join our lottery click here. Or contact us by email to lottery@stcatherines.co.uk or call 01772 695298.

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