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Anne Skinner, from Worle in Weston-Super-Mare, never imagined that her regular donation to her local children’s hospice could lead to such a big win.

One afternoon, she picked up a phone call she’ll never forget. 

"I honestly thought I’d won a tin of biscuits," Anne laughs. 

Anne had in fact just won £5,600 in the Children’s Hospice South West Lottery.  

A retired nurse, Anne spent many years caring for others at Bristol Eye hospital and the Bristol Royal Infirmary. In her later life, she became a Governor at University Hospitals Bristol. It was there that she met fellow Governor Phil, someone who would go on to shape her connection to her local children’s hospice. Phil’s family were supported by the charity after his son, Nicholas, was diagnosed with a life-limiting illness. 

Anne explains. “After Phil passed away, I wanted to do something in his memory. I knew how much the hospice had meant to him and his family.” 

That’s when Anne decided to start supporting regularly. It was a quiet act of kindness, something she did for Phil, and for families like his who rely so deeply on local hospice services.  

Anne says “I was just going about my day when the phone rang," My husband answered and told me it was the Children's Hospice South West. My immediate reaction was that they hadn't received my monthly payment."

When the lady told me I had won the lottery, I was in total shock. I couldn't believe what she was telling me.

The win came at exactly the right time. Anne was about to renovate the downstairs of her home, a big project quoted at more than £12,000. 

“This money will certainly help,” she says. “I can remove the fireplace in our lounge and make the space more comfortable for us. I can remember building our fireplace myself nearly thirty five years ago, so it is very welcome.” 

For Anne, the reason she supports the hospice has obviously never been about prizes or winnings. 

“The work they do is beyond words,” she says. 

It’s full of love, compassion, and dignity. You don’t see that kind of care in many places anymore, not even in hospitals. It takes a special kind of person to do what the hospice staff do every day.

If you’re thinking of joining the hospice lottery, Anne has just one message: 

“Do it. You’re helping families through the hardest times of their lives and who knows, you might get a phone call like I did.”