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District nurse vows to continue working after £5 million lottery win

Louise Drake from West Lothian says her work cannot be postponed

Louise Drake from West Lothian says her work cannot be postponed

Lottery winners district nurse Louise Drake and her husband Paul
Lottery winners district nurse Louise Drake and her husband Paul
Picture: Paul Chappells

A district nurse who scooped £5.1 million on the National Lottery has vowed to carry on nursing.

Louise Drake and her husband Paul from Bathgate in West Lothian, Scotland, took home £5,162,779 in the Lotto draw on 28 July. However, the couple have insisted the win won’t change them.

Speaking of nursing through the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Drake told STV News: ‘It’s been very, very hard and our work isn’t something that can be postponed.

‘We are dealing with people in their own homes who often need daily visits and people who are palliative with end of life care. So you have no option but to just get on all your personal protective equipment and just go and do it. Winning the lottery has had an effect, but I won’t stop working.’

Mr Drake, who worked as a supermarket production operator before the win, realised the couple had hit the jackpot when he checked his numbers before leaving for a shift.

Couple plan to pay off mortgage and go on a family holiday

He said: ‘It was about 4:30am and I was just getting into the car when I had this niggling feeling to check my Lotto Lucky Dip numbers. I checked my ticket and just sat there in shock.

‘I’m not an emotional guy, but I burst into tears. I ran back into the house screaming and woke Louise up to tell her. We couldn’t believe it. Our friends, family and colleagues are over the moon for us.’

The couple plan to pay off their mortgage and go on a family holiday with their sons, aged 11 and 15.


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