Karan Howard
We’re thrilled to share that the top prize in our July weekly lottery draw was won by Ms Karan Howard, a dedicated supporter from Takeley. Ms Howard has been playing the St Clare Hospice Lottery for around four years and now her lucky number has finally been drawn! We’re so grateful for her continued support – and delighted that her generosity has been rewarded.
Ms Howard kindly took the time to share her story with us:
What was your reaction when you found out you had won?
‘I was in shock and disbelief – I never win anything! It took a while to sink in, but once it did, I was very happy and grateful. I’ve been playing the lottery for around four years, and I’ll continue to support it. Now I’m excited to share my story with others to encourage them to get involved too.’
What inspired you to play the St Clare Hospice Lottery?
‘I choose specific charities to support, and I’m not someone who switches every few months. I’m happy to stick with the ones I’ve committed to.
‘St Clare Hospice means a lot to me. I’ve had family members cared for there, and they experienced some good days in the hospice that helped them feel better about themselves, even at the end of their lives. It made a real difference. It’s also local, which is important to me.’
What are you going to spend your winnings on?
‘I’m probably going to put the money aside for a bit and think about what I want to do with it. I keep promising Hugo, my bulldog, that I’ll take him on a little holiday so it will likely go towards that. We make sure that we take him away once every year, and recently we hired a camper van and went up to Scotland with him, so he got to swim in the Loch Ness.
‘I want the winnings to go towards something meaningful, something I can look back on and say, “This is what I’ve done with it.”‘
What would you say to someone who’s never played St Clare Hospice’s lottery before?
‘Why not? Why wouldn’t you? I didn’t play the lottery with the intention of winning – I played because it was a way to support the charity. For me, it’s not about the money I contribute each month, because I know it’s going towards something meaningful. If you’re lucky enough to win, like I have been, that’s great. But my reason for supporting it is to donate and hopefully make a difference.’
David Clarke
We are delighted to announce that the £1,000 top prize in one of our May weekly lottery draws was won by Mr David Clarke, a dedicated member of our fundraising events volunteer team! It’s wonderful to see someone who generously gives up their time for others receiving a well-deserved reward in return.
Mr Clarke visited the hospice to collect his cheque and kindly took a moment to speak with us:
How long have you been volunteering with St Clare?
‘Since my daughter started working here and got me into it, that must have been 8 or 9 years ago. Probably longer, time flies so quickly!’
What events have you been involved in?
‘The first event I helped with was the Midnight Walk, which went well. I work Mondays to Fridays, so I can’t really do things during the week, so I put myself down for helping with weekend events, whether it’s with car parking, monitoring on the 10k run, summer fayres, et cetera.’
What are you going to spend the winnings on?
‘I’m really pleased I won and I’m going to make a £50 donation to St Clare Hospice. I have two grandchildren, a 1-year-old and the other is just a few weeks old, so I’m also planning to place £50 pounds into each of their bank accounts. Then I want to have a big family meal out with my children, their spouses, and the grandchildren.’
Feeling inspired? Why not sign up for our lottery today?
We’d love to hear from you!
If you would like to find out more about the St Clare Hospice Lottery, or share your feedback about the service you have received, we would love to hear from you.
Please contact the Lottery Team on 01279 773730, or email lottery@stclarehospice.org.uk
