Lottery winner is happy to help charity
ALUCKY Saltash man has donated to a Plymouth charity which has helped to “change” his life.
Frank Beard won on the National Lottery in the summer and scooped a Set for Life prize, earning him £10,000 a month for a whole year.
The 68-year-old, who has underlying health issues and had to self-isolate for nine weeks during the coronavirus pandemic, has been attending Elder Tree sessions – a befriending service which helps those aged over 50 who are lonely and isolated. The charity has had to work even harder this year, as many have found themselves living alone and unable to meet loved ones faceto-face due to the coronavirus restrictions in place.
Mr Beard said: “Elder Tree has helped change my life, getting me out not only to exercise but meeting up with others and giving me something to look forward to each week. I’m really grateful to be active again.”
After scooping the prize, he donated some of his winnings to the vital service. He added: “Staff in the store thought I had won £1,000 a month, which would have done me nicely, but, when I rang Camelot and realised it was £10,000 a month, I was doubly delighted. It still hasn’t really sunk in.”
Since March, the Plymouth-based charity which supports Frank has delivered Zoom-based activities, welfare checks and shopping requests to help keep users connected and supported.
Robbie Nairn, chief executive of Elder Tree, said: “Frank was one of the lucky few who won some money on the Lottery and he decided that he wanted to make a donation to Elder Tree to thank them for supporting him through a particularly difficult time in his life.
“He has attended one of our men’s groups and he openly admits that this has changed his life. He met new friends, got off his backside and took part in physical activity and, most importantly, started to enjoy life again.”
The service works in partnership with Plymouth City Council. It currently supports over 1,650 beneficiaries with the help of 175 volunteers delivering 92 social inclusion activities in 54 locations city-wide. It also supports 91 of the most socially isolated and housebound beneficiaries in their homes with a ‘volunteer befriender’.