By If you fantasize about winning the lottery and quitting your job, a nurse from the U.K. has done just that. Teresa Robinson, 65, has been on the front lines of the pandemic, but now she’s planning for her retirement after winning the Set For Life lottery. She’s set to receive £10,000 (roughly $13,880) every month for a full year. So, what is she going to do with all her winnings? Move to the Caribbean, of course.
The Winning Ticket
It’s been a rough year for Robinson. Like most nurses, she’s been dealing with the horrors of COVID-19 on a regular basis. The pandemic crippled the U.K.’s National Health Service, but Robinson stayed strong the entire way through. “I’ve nursed all over the world in all sorts of conditions but never have I been tested as much as in the last 12 months; at times it’s been truly horrendous,” she said of the last year.
Then, last month, her life changed forever.
She bought a Lucky Dip lottery ticket from the Hollesley Post Office and on April 15th, she matched all five numbers to the Set for Life lottery draw, giving her the winning ticket.
She remembers drinking her morning tea with her partner, Charlie Hobson, 62, a self-employed builder, when the news came in. “I was bouncing off the walls but Charlie, calm as you like, looked at it and simply said, ‘I knew we’d win it one day’, gave me a kiss and went outside to carry on building our extension!” she recalled.
Robinson said playing the lottery has become a small tradition between the two.
“We buy our own tickets, but we always share the winnings, so when I scanned my ticket and heard the winning sound I expected to see enough for a little treat for our supper, not for a second was I expecting £10,000 a month for the year,” she said.
After winning her ticket, Robinson said the celebration was “a little muted,” considering she had to work all weekend. Soon, however, she and her partner were cracking bottles of champagne in their backyard.
“My first purchase as a National Lottery winner wasn’t too frivolous either, a packet of wooden pegs from the village shop,” she said.
After 35 years of nursing, she’s set to retire in June.
Spending More Time with Family
She and her partner will use the money to buy a home on the island of Nevis, so they can be closer to Hobson’s family.
Despite the challenges of working through the pandemic, it’s been a rewarding experience. “I’m proud to have served my community throughout the pandemic and feel that I have earned my retirement and the lazy days we will spend on Nevis, once it’s safe to travel,” she said.
Robinson says she and her partner have visited the island of Nevis several times, but they could never stay long enough because they both had to work. Now, they are looking to relocate permanently.
“We are hatching a plan to buy a home there so we can spend months at a time on the island, enjoying everything it has to offer and catching up with family,” she said.
The couple already had plans in the works to build their dream home in the U.K. before winning the lottery.
“Last year we found a renovation project and, despite everything, decided to go for it and build our dream home together. It’s been pretty full on at times but we wanted to be finished before we started drawing pensions, when we thought we’d need to be a bit more careful with the pennies,” she said.
Now, they don’t need to worry about those pennies.
“Turns out, thanks to that lucky win, we may not need to be quite as careful and in addition to this project, we can start one on Nevis too!” she added.
We hope Robinson enjoys her early retirement. She’s earned it after working through the pandemic. If only every nurse could win the lottery.
