The 17-year-old who won a million pounds — a profile of one of the lottery’s youngest ever winners
On 28 July 2013, Jane Park from Edinburgh walked into a newsagent’s, bought her first ever lucky dip and won a million pounds. She agreed to let producer/director Matt Pinder film the incredible experience of her first year as a millionaire.
“Good afternoon you’re through to the National lottery; how can I help?”
Jane read out her numbers.
...
“Are you joking me?”
“No, you have won!”
...
“What do I do?”
How much is £1million?
We used to think of £1m as this mind-blowing figure that you could never dream of earning. According to the UK Office of National Statistics, however, the average person can earn around £1.2m before tax if they work until they are 65.
In this context – and with the fact that almost everything costs more these days – there are those who would say that this once-magic number has lost some of its allure.
But when you’re seventeen, you’ve just left school, and you’ve been skint your whole life, then winning £1m is going to blow your mind.
What Jane did next
At the time of her win, Jane was living in a small two-bedroom council house, sharing a room with her older sister. She’d got herself a job working in an office as an assistant. She enjoyed the work but lived for the weekend and going out with her pals.
Unlike the majority of lottery winners, Jane decided to go public with her win announcing it in typical teenage fashion with a post on Facebook.
Naturally enough nobody believed her at first.
“I thought she was on the wind up!” said best friend Dannielle. It wasn’t until Jane appeared on the evening news that people started flooding social media with a mixture of good wishes, jealousy, delight and disbelief.
“The first few weeks were quite overwhelming”
Jane explained, “Loads of people were coming up to me and asking me questions – Are you that lassie that won a million pounds? I saw you at the football and mind that time I leant you 50p for the bus? and oh my god what are you doing with your money?”
Whilst most of her family where overjoyed, her Nana had her doubts: “She had a good job and a good life and they’ve given her a million pounds on a plate. It’s like giving someone a gun! I just can’t understand it. People like us don’t have that kind of money.”
At times the pressure did get to Jane.
Trying to figure out what to do with such a large overnight windfall would be difficult for anyone but especially for someone so young.
“The hardest decision I had to make was deciding how much money to give to my family and friends. How much is too much and how much is not enough? I didn’t want them thinking ‘she’s being a bit tight’. Not that my family would ever think that.”
“I wouldn’t go and stay in a fancy hotel just cause I had the money. I think that’s wasting it. And I find with the more expensive hotels, the food is too posh or the people in it are a bit snobby and I don’t like that. I’ve got ordinary tastes.”
How did Jane spend her £1million?
You hear all the time about lottery winners who go off the rails and end up bankrupt or in jail or miserable. Was this what happened to Jane? Did she blow all her money on Louis Vuitton handbags, expensive shoes and Tag Heuer watches?
And did the experience make her happier? Teenage Millionaire: The Year I Won the Lottery picks up the story.
Preview: Teenage Millionaire - The Year I Won The Lottery
How does winning a million change your outlook when being skint is all you've ever known?
