A military family who helped friends through financial hardship without expecting anything in return have seen their generosity come full circle after winning £7,000 in the Veterans’ Lottery prize draw.
Donna Aldridge, from Salisbury, Wilts, whose husband is a veteran of the Royal Artillery, has been a player of the Veterans’ Lottery for over eight years because of her close ties to the armed forces community.
Together they have built a strong network of military friends, many of whom have faced the challenges that can come with life after service.
Several years ago, the couple helped one veteran family through a difficult financial period and they never expected to see the money again and were simply doing what they believed was right.
“When you have really good friends, especially military friends, they’re family,” Donna said.
“That’s what you do for family.”
Through her husband’s military service and her close network of veteran friends, Donna has seen firsthand the challenges that can accompany the transition from military to civilian life.
This has given her a deep appreciation of the support available through organisations such as the Veterans’ Foundation and the life-changing funding that’s made possible thanks to the Veterans’ Lottery.
“You play because you know what you’re doing is directly helping people,” Donna continued.
"I’ve never expected to win anything - the chance of winning is just a bonus!”
The money will go into savings towards a future house purchase, but Donna says being able to replace the cash she and her husband once gave to help friends is the part of the win that means the most.
She also praised the Veterans' Foundation for the way it tells the stories of veterans and their families.
"The videos on social media stand out because they focus on the real experiences behind military life without sensationalising the challenges people face.
“You don’t sugarcoat it and you don’t go for the pity vote.
“You go for the humanity and it makes the stories relatable and helps people understand what veterans and their families go through," Donna explained.
The Veterans’ Lottery is the UK’s largest single-cause lottery and is a key funding stream for the Foundation’s grant programme.
If you’d like to be in with a chance to win up to £75,000 you can sign up to play the Veterans’ Lottery today.
