Lotto Winners Helping to Make a Difference This Christmas
Last Updated: Thursday 24th September 2020, 11:03
Members of a Lotto syndicate from Scotland have spoken about how much of a difference even the smallest gesture can make after taking some early Christmas presents into a children’s hospital. The group of six retired friends, known as the ‘ScottieHibbies’ after football team Hibernian, won £1 million in August but felt it was important to share their good fortune with others.
They visited the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh this week with a sack of gifts, including DVD players and films to help pass the time and provide the kids and their families with a fun distraction. The Sick Kids Friends Foundation have thanked the syndicate for the ‘thoughtful donation’ and said it will help to make Christmas ‘magical’, but the Lotto winners insist it was the least they could do.
Syndicate leader Douglas Gibson, 72, said in the Daily Record: “The work that the Royal Hospital for Sick Children does, supported by the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, is truly amazing. We’ve been blessed with a real change in our luck this year and we all decided we wanted to do something to support these guys as they fight their conditions.”
Douglas added: “After spending time in the hospital today it really hit home how much we need to support charities like this and how much of a difference even the smallest gesture can make. We hope the kids enjoy using the DVD players and movies and that they can make a small difference to the time they spend in the hospital.”
The ScottieHibbies won their life-changing prize in a special Lotto draw on 27th August, when 67 additional awards were given away in celebration of the medals won by Team GB at the Rio Olympics. The support of National Lottery players went a long way towards the success of Great Britain’s Olympians and Paralympians this summer, and ticket sales continue to go towards good causes such as funding for sport, arts, heritage and health, education, environment and charitable causes.
Anyone who enters the next Lotto draw will be doing their bit to support good causes, and they will also have the chance to win a magnificent jackpot. Tickets can be bought online or from authorised retailers in the UK. Good luck!