National Lottery winners in the UK have access to a secret WhatsApp group, where they can share experiences and advice on managing their sudden wealth. The group is one of the benefits of going public with a win, according to Andy Carter, the National Lottery's 'fixer' who advises winners on how to manage up to £4 billion in sudden wealth.
Exclusive community for winners
"You probably don't know someone else who's won," Carter told the Daily Mail. "There's a community of winners, so they get introduced to each other." The group allows wealthy Brits to help each other navigate a turbulent new world, sharing details of luxurious trips without "feeling bad" for their rare fortune and exchanging advice on different destinations.
They can also organise charity events and discuss future projects, with several turning to philanthropic work. Recently, winners gave a complete makeover to a garden used by pre-school children at Sacrewell Farm near Peterborough.
Supporting each other through sudden wealth
While the lottery runs wellbeing courses to help people manage their win, the lucky group can also exchange experiences about managing their vast fortunes. "It's sudden wealth. Remember, that's a different sort of wealth, it's different from inherited wealth, or if you've built up a business and you sell it," Carter said.
While winners get advice from Allwyn UK, he advises winners to keep communicating with each other. In typical British fashion, he said if you have won the lottery, the best thing you can do is have a cup of tea with another winner.
What's off the table?
However, one topic is apparently off the table. The numbers are never discussed, whether group members have won £1 million or £100 million. They instead just support each other through the "wacky" experience.
