Joy of the Lottery winner whose jackpot went to truly good cause

A flash lifestyle is all some winners dream of, but for Susan Crossland it gave her the chance to look after her sick siblings. Catherine Scott reports.

Susan Crossland is not a spiritual woman but when her late father’s lottery numbers came up she did feel it was meant to be.

Since the 46-year-old mother of four from Mirfield won £1.2m four and half years ago she has used the money for good, bringing her brother and sisters together under one roof – as her late parents would have wanted.

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She hasn’t blown it on fast cars or lavish holidays – although she did treat herself to a new version of her Honda CRV when the old one conked out.

“I kept my old car but then two years ago I had to replace it, so I got the same again. It might not be a Porsche but it fits my sister’s wheelchair in and is reliable.”

Instead the money has allowed her to care for her sick brother and sisters. Before her win Susan worried constantly about money and how she would care for her siblings in the future, especially after their mother died.

Surviving on the £300 a week wage of a her dairy worker husband Michael was a struggle and Susan was worried she may not be able to look after her sister Joanne, who is 41 but suffers severe learning difficulties.

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But on July 19, 2008 using her late father Barrie’s numbers – 6, 9, 13, 18, 29, 30 – she hit the jackpot – relieving both her financial and emotional burden

“I cannot bear to think what would have happened if I hadn’t won the money, especially after my mum died six months after I won the lottery, leaving my brother and sisters.

“There is no way they could have lived by themselves. Social services would have put them all in different homes, I couldn’t bear that, so it just made sense to move them in with us. It just means that I don’t have to worry about the future for us or them.

“Joanne needs 24-hour care and I still feel sick when I think what would have happened if we hadn’t won the money, but I try not to dwell on it.”

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With her winnings she bought a seven-bedroomed, specially designed £500,000 detached house close to where she grew up.

“We had thought about moving away, maybe up to Scotland, but I would have missed Yorkshire too much and also all our friends and support network is here.”

But the decision to move in her brother David, 46, and sisters Beverley, 50, and Joanne, 45, all who have complex physical and mental health needs, wasn’t one she could take alone.

As well as having to consult Michael, two of her sons, Jamie 22 and Joshua, 18, still live at home.

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“We had a big family conference and they all agreed and it does work really well. It’s good fun. We do have tough days, but who doesn’t.”

Despite being able to afford help to care for her siblings, Susan looks after them all herself.

“I don’t like the idea of some stranger in my house; for me it just wouldn’t work,” she says. “It’s my family.”

Husband Michael did give up work after the win, but quite quickly missed it.

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“It drove him nuts,” says Susan. “He said one day: ‘I love you to death but I have got to go back to work. So now he has gone back part-time at Hague’s Farmshop and he is happy.”

Sensible investment means that the Crossland’s lottery win is worth more than it was four years ago.

But Susan is quick to point out that they do enjoy the money as well.

“We go on some lovely holidays. I have taken everyone to Disneyland. Michael and I do get away on our own for a break, we are going to the Caribbean in February, and also I like to take the children away as a family – so everyone gets a bit.”

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It also meant that Michael and Susan could renew their 
wedding vows in style, as when they first got married it was on a shoestring and she wanted to “do it right” although they still honeymooned in Blackpool as they had in 1994 when they first married.

“The money also means that I don’t have to worry about having the heating on – my sister really feels the cold. But the main thing is that we are all under one roof; the way it should be.”

Susan admits that she does sometimes feel like she is stuck in the middle – being a wife, mother, sister and full-time carer.

Christmas was a real family affair with almost a dozen family members congregating at the Crosslands.

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“I do all the cooking,” says Susan. “But it is a really lovely day. My brother and sisters are really quite child-like and so Christmas is a really special time for us all.”

As if caring for her three siblings and her own children isn’t enough, both Susan and Michael are keen charity workers.

When Joanne goes into respite care to give the family a break, rather than putting their feet up and relaxing their thoughts turn to others.

In the past Susan has dressed up in a big bear costume collecting money for good causes, including Holly Bank Special School, organised a charity football team and sponsored three guide dogs for the blind.

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On Christmas Eve this year they organised a big party for 44 local children with Michael dressed as Santa.

“We try to do a different thing every year. I believe in giving something back – I always have.”

Susan doesn’t see anything remarkable in what she does, in fact she pays tribute to Michael and her sons.

“They are my inspiration,” she says. “They have far more patience than I do. They are so good with my brother and sisters. If they have any problems then they go and talk to them. I’m their sister but they go and talk to Michael.

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“The money is nice, it gives us security and means I don’t have to worry. It always means if we want to go off to Blackpool for the day or go on holiday we can.

“But the main thing is that 
it allows our family to be together.”

Twitter@ypcscott

‘My late father was looking after us’

Susan Crossland said she had a feeling her father was looking out for her on the week of the draw as she kept seeing white feathers in the 
air.

The day after he died in July 2006, a white feather landed on her doorstep, which she took to be a sign from him.

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Two years later she won the £1.2m jackpot after deciding to keep her late father Barrie’s Lottery numbers.

She said: “My win must be fate, which is why I saw the feathers. I’m not a spiritual person but it just feels right. Like we were supposed to get the money so that we could look after our family.”

For more information on the National Lottery visit www.national-lottery.co.uk

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