Arts centre manager to marry partner for second time – after scooping millions on lottery

An arts centre manager who is marrying her partner for the second time has won up to £3.6million on the National Lottery – and had to get a workmate to check the letter to make sure she had got it right.

Mo Reidman from Southwark, pictured, won £10,000 every month for a year for the next three decades and celebrated her news with a virtual hug from a work friend.

She matched the numbers on the Set for Life draw last week, but only realised after she had been reminded to check her account by lottery staff.

Mo said: “I got an email on Friday telling me to check my account, but when I logged on, at first I couldn’t see anything special. Then I checked again and saw the reminder telling me I’d won.”

The boss at the Barbican Centre rang her brother to share the good news, telling him to sit down first, and then told a workmate.

She said: “I told my colleague I wanted her to check it in case I had read it incorrectly. She confirmed I had read it right.

“Mindful of the importance of the two-metre safe distancing – and the need to not alert the rest of the office – she gave a silent cheer and gave me a ‘virtual’ hug.

“All of my celebrations so far have been virtual. My partner, Paul, is in the Merchant Navy and I won’t see him until late April at the earliest. When I texted him to tell him the news he didn’t respond – in the end I had to call the ship’s phone to tell him to check his messages.

“Paul and I are getting married again – we were married before but divorced – but the win won’t be going towards the cost of the wedding, Paul knows that’s his project, as is the trip to New York to choose the engagement ring.

“Instead the win will pay off the mortgage over the next year and to refurbish the bathroom. That may not sound very exciting but it needs doing and now every time I’m standing in the shower I will be able to remember the win.

“I know it’s a very stressful time for the whole country and I’ve felt that stress every day. All we can do is look out for each other and remember we can all do our bit to get it under control.

“I’m so grateful for my bit of luck. I play every week online, and while I didn’t expect to win I definitely hoped to.”

In the current situation, National Lottery players are encouraged to play online here or by downloading the National Lottery app, and to only buy their tickets in shops as part of their essential shop.

Hundreds of millions of pounds will be distributed to charities and local voluntary organisations over the next few months to help support people through the Covid-19 crisis – food banks, causes that combat loneliness and isolation, support for the elderly and projects that support health in the community.