After a very tough year working through Covid, a Community Care Worker and avid sewer from Bilston is now celebrating after winning the £300,000 top prize on The National Lottery’s Lucky Numbers Scratch card.

Thirty-one-year-old Bianca Murton, who's known as Bee, has worked throughout the pandemic helping people in their own homes as a Community Carer, a role that has been particularly challenging but rewarding for her over the last year. 

Now, with her life-changing win behind her, Bee is excited at the prospect of being able to study and develop in the job she loves and sees as her vocation. She said:

“I know this is what I want to do as a career, and so I’m going to use some of my money to study for my NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care.

“Also, sewing is something I really enjoy doing and, especially in the last year during these crazy times, it’s given me another focus away from work. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction seeing what I’m able to create. 

The mother to a seven-year-old son has worked as a Community Carer for the last two years. She added:

“It is such a rewarding job. To see the smiles on peoples’ faces when you visit them in their homes makes you feel so good. You are part of their lives, so it feels great to be doing a job that helps people.

“Working through Covid has been tough and it’s been stressful. The amount of work has increased and, since I don’t drive, I’ve been mostly walking between appointments - I’ve covered a lot of miles - so, with my win in the bank, I’m also going to take my driving test as soon as possible.”

Recounting the story of how she became £300,000 better off, which includes a very important bottle of fizzy pop, Bee said:

“I wanted a fizzy drink so popped to the local shop. I saw The National Lottery scratch cards at the till and thought I’d have a go. I picked a couple - don’t ask why I chose them - and on the walk home I started to scratch them.

“I won a fiver on the first card so I was pretty pleased. I was just about to walk through the front door, having scratched the second one, when it all went a bit crazy!

“I looked, looked again and couldn’t believe what I was staring at, so much so that I started to shake. I asked my partner to look at it and he wasn’t 100% sure so he then called his Dad to check it for me. After many checks and double-checks, it really did look like I had won and then I just started to cry.

“I called The National Lottery hotline late afternoon to see if I was a winner. Afterwards I just couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. I didn’t sleep a lot that night - you could say I was buzzing - my mind was racing, thinking about what I could do with the money.

“It gives me so much security just to think that when I pay off my mortgage it will be the safe and secure home for my family forever. I’ll certainly also feel a lot calmer having no more debt to worry about."

Bee bought her winning National Lottery Lucky Numbers scratch card from One Stop on Bridge Street in Bilston. Thanks to National Lottery players, over £1 billion is being used by charities and organisations affected by the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, which includes over £600M in funding support from the National Lottery Community Fund which is being used to help groups best placed to support people and communities through the crisis.