Harrogate woman's £25,000 win in Henshaws charity lottery

Aliesha Hess, 25, from Harrogate couldn’t believe it when she received the call last week to tell her that she had scooped the £25,000 jackpot prize in the lottery run by Unity to support Harrogate and Knaresborough charity Henshaws.

Aliesha, who only signed up for the lottery at the end of November, wanted to support Henshaws as they provide crucial help, advice and support for people living with sight loss and other disabilities to empower them to live a more fulfilling life.

The Henshaws lottery is run by national fundraising lottery scheme Unity with 50p of every £1 played going towards supporting the life-changing support local charity Henshaws provides.

It’s not often anyone wins as much as £25,000 in this charity lottery.

After receiving the cheque at Henshaws Arts & Crafts Centre in Knaresborough, Aliesha said: “I only play the lottery to support Henshaws, I never thought I’d win. The lottery is really worth signing up for.”

Aliesha, like many others in Harrogate and Knaresborough, has close connections to the charity which helps young people in particular.

Her great grandmother was the laundry manager for Henshaws Specialist College in Harrogate the 1970s and her grandparents got engaged under the large Oak tree in the college grounds.

The timing of her win couldn't be better - Aliesha was already planning to travel round the world later this year.