A woman who was grieving the death of her sister said she asked her for "a sign" during a difficult night and woke up to find she had won a life-changing lottery prize.

Amanda Hampton, 51, from Cardiff, said she initially dismissed the email about the win before discovering her family syndicate had won £10,000 every month for the next 30 years.

The win for the syndicate, which also included Amanda's brother Gareth, her ex-husband, Matthew, and close family friend Louise, came on 3 February 2025, less than a year after Amanda and Gareth's sister Michelle passed away.

"We know Michelle would be thrilled that the family is secure and that we're looking after the children," Amanda said.

"I'd had a really bad day and was feeling incredibly sad about losing my sister."

"Lying in bed that night, I remember speaking to her in my head and saying, 'I just need a sign that you're okay'," she added.

When she received a National Lottery email the next morning, she did not initially give it much thought, suspecting she had perhaps won £5.

But when she checked later that morning, she was astonished to find the £10K-a-month win.

"I nearly fell over," she said.

"I immediately called Matthew at 6am. He wasn't very happy I'd woken him up until I sent him the screenshot. Then he couldn't believe it either."

Amanda was travelling with work colleagues when the win was officially confirmed.

"Everyone from work was in the car when I got the confirmation. When they told me it was real, we all just screamed," she said.

Before winning, she said she was "constantly worrying about money".

"I now feel completely secure and can look forward, instead of worrying all the time."

So far, Amanda and Louise have spent some of the money on their homes and gardens, while Matthew has bought a new car.

Gareth has paid off his mortgage since winning the prize.

Amanda and Matthew's son is heading to university in Scotland and because of the win he won't need to take out a student loan. Amanda is also supporting Michelle's son as he prepares for his own adventure in Australia next month.

Before Michelle's death, Amanda, Michelle and Louise would celebrate birthdays and special occasions at Celtic Manor hotel in Newport.

They had a running joke that if they ever won the lottery, they would splash out on the hotel's Presidential Suite, which they did after Amanda's win, to coincide with the anniversary of Michelle's death.

"Michelle should have been here enjoying all of this with us," Amanda said.

"We miss her every day. Everything we do, we think about whether she'd be smiling about it."