A woman plagued by a rotten run of bad luck had a sudden change of fortune after scooping £300,000 on the lottery after dashing out to grab some essentials.
Karen Parkin, 51, started playing scratchcards after she stood behind a lady in a shop who won £50,000 on one.
Weeks later, Karen, who gave up her job as a delivery driver after suffering from arthritis of the spine, popped out to buy bread and milk.
While standing in the queue she remembered the woman winner and treated herself to two Cosmic Cash games which cost £3 each.
When she got home she scratched off the panels of one of the cards and discovered she had won the top prize of £300,000.
Karen, of Nottingham, has splashed out on a brand new VW California campervan and plans to treat her mum to a trip to Cairo and the Maldives.
She said: "I was in a newsagent a while back and this lady was in front of me in the queue.
"She asked the assistant to check a scratchcard because she thought she'd won £5,000. She'd actually won £50,000. From then on, I started buying scratchcards and now I too am a winner.
"On the night I won I'd been at home and I needed some bread and milk so went down to my local shop.
"I also bought two National Lottery Scratchcards then went home, put the kettle on and sat down in the kitchen with a coffee before watching The Chase.
"I scratched the first one and saw that I'd won and just sat there.
"I can't even remember if I scratched the second one, it's all a bit of a blur.
"I remember calling my friend Tony and asking him to pop round to help me check it.
"He said it looked like I was a winner, so I called the National Lottery line to claim.
"The lady on the phone confirmed that I was indeed a winner, and that someone would call me back shortly to guide me through the process.
"I then called my sister Rachael, asked her if she was sitting down and then told her my incredible news.
"I then called my mum who thought something was wrong as I also asked if she was sitting down before telling her that I had some news."
Karen bought the winning scratchcard from Sonia Stores, on Park Lane, Basford, Nottingham, on October 18.
She celebrated with a small glass of wine before hiding the winning scratchcard in tea towels.
She said, "I wrapped it in some tea towels and placed it in a drawer. It's safe to say I didn't sleep a wink that night."
Karen plans to use the cash to tick off items on her bucket list with luxury holidays and hopes to buy a house for her and her two Bull Mastiff pets, Elvis and Vogue.
She added: "I have an old L reg VW camper and love it but with the win I have upgraded and can't wait to get out on my travels.
"I also love fishing, especially with my nephew Leo, so maybe I'll now drive further afield for my catch. I still can't believe it's happened to me; I normally get all the bad luck.
"If something bad is going to happen someone then it's always me. This win is going to help me so much.
"Only last week I found a leak in my hosepipe and couldn't justify buying a new one at £48.
"I've just been out and bought one for £52. I am constantly thinking about how to pay for things, putting £20 of fuel in the car rather than filling it up. Life will be less stressful and it just feels brilliant."
