Woman celebrates £10k a month lottery win with virtual hug during coronavirus lockdown

A woman has celebrated winning the lottery by sharing a virtual hug with a co-worker during the coronavirus lockdown.

Mo Reideman, a manager at a London art centre, discovered she had won £10,000 every month for a year after taking part in the Nation Lottery's Set for Life draw.

The 54-year-old matched all five numbers after buying a lucky dip for the March 19 competition.

Although Ms Reideman was unable to share her news with friends and family as enthusiastically as she would have liked, the coronavirus lockdown has not stopped her celebrating.

She said: “I told my colleague, who I trust, that I wanted her to check something in case I had read it incorrectly.

“I left my phone on the table, she looked and 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.

“In fact 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 text 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.”

With the win confirmed and her first £10,000 in the bank account, Ms Reideman is already making plans.

She said the win will be used to pay off her mortgage over the next 12 months and to refurbish the bathroom.

Ms Reideman added: “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 keep going, follow advice given – including washing our hands often – look out for each other and remember we can all do our bit to get it under control – it’s really important to remember we can get through this.”