Lottery winner Paula Williamson keeps £1 million jackpot win secret from sons for five weeks

A DEARNE Valley dinner lady who was served up a £1 million lottery jackpot says she has no plans to quit the kitchen.

Paula Williamson has worked at the same school in Thurnscoe for 20 years and vowed to carry on feeding pupils at The Hill Primary Academy despite being handed the key to a life of luxury.

She decided with husband Geoff (68) to keep her new-found fortune a secret for more than five weeks as son Jack was in Australia.

The delighted couple were able to reveal all to Jack - who got back to the UK on Monday night - and his brother Ian this week and the family popped the bubbly to celebrate.

“There is no way we could have celebrated without our two sons being with us,” she said.

“I did tell Geoff, because that would have been so hard to keep the news from him, but we both decided we wanted to tell Jack and Ian at the same time. 

“It was tough being in the same house as Ian and keeping it from him but we did it. 

“We just tried to keep ourselves as occupied as possible.

“Celebrating the winning moment is something we wanted to ensure we would remember for ever.”

Paula had previously been walking around for more than a week oblivious to the fact that she had a winning ticket for the EuroMillions £1M UK Millionaire Maker draw of March 1 sitting in her purse.

“I always buy a EuroMillions ticket when I do my weekly shopping and at the same time check my ticket from the previous week,” she explained.

“When I got to the till to check my ticket the machine made a noise and the shop assistant said I had won more than £500 so she couldn’t pay out.

“I was really excited and thought I had probably won around £550. That would have been a nice deposit for the new three piece suite I had been dreaming about buying.

“I immediately rushed home and called Camelot. The lady on the phone said to me: ‘Are you sitting down? You have won £1 million’.

“I couldn’t believe it. In fact I still can’t.

“The news really is still sinking in. I keep having to pinch myself and tell myself that I really am a millionaire.

“I cannot believe I was walking around for a whole week with £1 million in my purse while desperately saving for the new three piece.”

Paula said that at the top of her shopping list was a house each for Jack, a bus driver, and Ian, a ground worker, who both still live at home. Second on the shopping list is that new three-piece suite.

Geoff, meanwhile, a retired long distance lorry driver, who also has two daughters, Donna and Karen, said an updated Skoda is top of his list.

The couple, who have five grandchildren aged between two and 13, said treating their family was very important to them.

“We are not going to rush into anything,” Paula added. “We are just going to take time to think \!a this win takes away any money worries and gives us so many options and opportunities.”