When Debbie Goolding arrived at Royal Ascot for Ladies Day, she brought more than just a standout headpiece. The National Lottery millionaire wore a bespoke designer hat shaped as the universal symbol of good luck - fingers crossed - as a tribute to her own experience of hope, optimism and good fortune.

Debbie, a mum-of-four from Aldershot, Hampshire won £1M on a Scratchcard at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. She had been knitting mini angel mascots for keyworkers to bring comfort during the difficult time and popped to the local shops to buy a card for her friend’s birthday. On a whim, she treated herself to a scratchcard and ended up winning £1 million.

While the win took her by surprise, she had always felt lucky and believed good things would happen. Now she hopes to spread joy and optimism through her playful, statement hat design.

The one-of-a-kind headpiece was created by celebrated milliner Barnaby Horn, whose designs have been worn by members of the Royal family, Sir David Beckham and Scissor Sister’s Jake Shears. Across three private fittings, Debbie worked with Barnaby to refine elements of the design, from the angles, colour palette and finer details, ensuring the final piece felt personal to her winning journey.

Debbie specifically chose the floral elements in the design to represent her 20-year career as a florist, whilst the crossed fingers represent her eternal hope and optimism. The silver touches are a reminder of her first purchase - a platinum eternity ring, bought with husband Joseph the day after she discovered the win, and after she had called The National Lottery to double check that the win was in fact real.

The trip to Royal Ascot is an early celebration of the anniversary of her win, which took place on 5th July 2020. To this day she has kept the £1 coin that was used to scratch the winning scratchcard as a lucky charm.

Debbie Goolding, said: “I’ve always been an optimistic person and believed it could be me, but it was still a huge shock to win £1 million on a scratchcard. I called the National Lottery’s phone line twice to double check it was actually real before I started spending.

My win showed me that amazing things really can happen when you least expect them and that’s what this headpiece celebrates - hope, possibility and believing in good fortune. For me it’s all about that moment of crossing my fingers and believing it could happen. I hope I’ve brought a bit of luck for the other racegoers here today.”

Designed exclusively for Debbie, the handcrafted headpiece symbolised how extraordinary things can begin with a small moment of hope. Elegant and optimistic, it reflected both Royal Ascot style and Debbie’s personal journey.

Created by award-winning milliner Barnaby Horn, one of Britain’s leading contemporary headwear designers, the piece combined traditional craftsmanship with modern creativity. Known for his sculptural, narrative-driven designs and worn by high-profile figures, Horn brought Debbie’s story of luck and optimism to life with meticulous detail and couture artistry.

Milliner, Barnaby Horn said: “From the beginning, this was about Debbie, her experience, her outlook, and that sense of optimism she carried with her. The crossed fingers concept came naturally through her story, and it was a joy to develop it together across the fittings. I wanted the final piece to feel refined and expressive, but most importantly, true to Debbie. It was ultimately a celebration of hope and possibility, told through her story of winning The National Lottery.”

Debbie spreading hope and optimism at one of Britain’s most iconic sporting and social occasions, continued a long-held tradition of National Lottery winners becoming symbols of good fortune in their communities.

From lucky handshakes to well-worn rituals, winners often found themselves as lucky mascots, including:

• £1 million winner Amanda Lewis shared how customers regularly asked to rub her arm for luck

• Lotto winner Gary MacDonald had described himself as a “lucky mascot” after constant requests for handshakes

• £1.8 million winner Sean Lloyd credited a lucky penny with inspiring his win, later turning it into a wishing well.

For more information or interview requests with Debbie Goolding or milliner Barnaby Horn, please contact: Shannon.O’Farrell@allwyn.co.uk.

-ENDS-

About The National Lottery

Allwyn operates The National Lottery® under licence, raising vital funds that help communities thrive across the UK. Every ticket makes a difference - from grassroots sport and local arts to heritage and community initiatives. Distribution of funds is managed by independent bodies.

• Players of The National Lottery raise around £33 million every week for National Lottery-funded projects. Since its launch in 1994, more than £53 billion has been raised, funding over 680,000 Good Cause projects in every part of the UK. In every postcode district, most people will have benefited from a National Lottery-funded project at some point.

• The National Lottery has awarded players over £103 billion in prize money, creating more than 8,000 millionaires.

• Learn more about Allwyn and The National Lottery at www.allwyn.co.uk and www.national-lottery.co.uk. · Explore projects funded in your area at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk.

• Players must be 18 or over. Please play responsibly.

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