‘Unlucky’ Scouse mum wins £100k and sports car as she says it was ‘a gift from dad’

Claire Carty from Liverpool never considered herself a ‘particularly lucky person’ – but her fortunes changed after she won £100,000 cash and an £85,000 Lotus through Omaze in a twist of fate

A mum, who considered herself “unlucky”, has scooped a whopping £100,000 and an £85,000 Lotus car. Claire Carty, 47, from Liverpool, believes her massive Omaze win is a “gift” from her late father Michael, who was a huge fan of the iconic British sports car brand.

Claire, who shares her home with her partner Stephen, 52, and their 10-year-old son Noah, said: “The win felt like fate and that it was a gift from Dad.” Speaking about her darling father, she said: “Dad was a massive Lotus fan, his first ever car was a Lotus Cortina and it was a huge part of my childhood.

“His hero was Jim Clark, so it was always his dream car. He actually managed to save up and buy a Lotus Cortina in the 70s, but the insurance firm he used got caught up in a scandal and went bust.”

According to the Liverpool Echo, because of her dad’s young age at the time, as well as the car’s relatively low value, it was not possible to get his set of wheels insured. He ended up having to sell the car and was left heartbroken as he had always wanted to own one.

“He talked about that car all his life — it even came up in his eulogy — so when I found out I’d won this, it honestly felt like fate,” she added. The family still pays tribute to Michael, and believes their win was a touch of divine intervention so they could remember how great Michael was.

“I’ve always maintained that everything happens for a reason and of all the months to win with Omaze, it was the month they were giving away a Lotus,” she said. “It really does feel like it was meant to be.”

Claire secured the prize through her £15 monthly Omaze subscription. Upon discovering her victory, she said that her family were incredibly suspicious at first and almost told her to ignore the email telling her she had won.

But after doing some double-checking of her account and the winning codes, she was just about able to realise that she was the winner. Claire, who operates as a retail manager for a furniture shop, was at her workplace when she received the call confirming precisely what she’d claimed.

She explained: “I was in the office and knew Omaze were going to call at 5.30pm, honestly, it felt like the longest day ever. My boss was happy as I did so much work just to keep occupied.”

Being a Lotus enthusiast, courtesy of her father, Claire says she adored taking the motor out for a drive but revealed she ultimately intends to sell it and pocket the proceeds. She commented: “I loved taking it out for a spin with the Omaze Pro Driver Tess; it’s incredible to drive and it’s certainly faster than my old Ford Focus”.

She has already managed to make a pretty penny for the car, flogging it for a total of £100,000 — some £15k more than what it was initially valued at. She has already earmarked the money for her next purchase, as she is planning to buy a luxury BMW sportscar that can double as a family car at the same time.

Claire said never regarded herself as a “particularly lucky person” before receiving the news, revealing that her previous winning streak consisted of just two bars of soap from another competition she used to participate in. Regarding her plans for her newfound wealth, she revealed: “This win is just amazing, it’s completely life-changing.

“My mum keeps saying I’ve got to go and treat myself but the first thing on the list is finally getting the house how we’ve always wanted it, a new driveway, a new bathroom and all those things that have been on the to-do list for years that we keep saying, ‘one day we’ll do that’. Well, thanks to Omaze, that day is now here.

“The incredible amount of money gives us security, but also the freedom to enjoy life a bit more. Noah’s desperate to go to Disney World and Stephen and I have always dreamed of going to Hawaii but it’s always felt out of reach, now it’s something we can do in style. This win is going to make a big difference to our family, we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

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