An Army nurse who cared for British soldiers seriously injured in Afghanistan has won first prize in January’s Veterans’ Lottery draw.
Julie Wadham served in the military for 22 years, touring in Sierra Leone and Afghanistan as a nurse with the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps.
The 47-year-old, from Tidworth, Wiltshire, worked in Defence Primary Healthcare and looked after some of the most severely injured during their rehabilitation at Headley Court.
One of those injured soldiers was former Royal Marines Commando and Veterans’ Foundation Ambassador, Mark Ormrod, who became the first triple amputee from the Afghanistan conflict after he stood on an improvised explosive device on Christmas Eve in 2007.
It was Mark’s story which inspired Julie to sign up to play the Veterans’ Lottery after she watched his film on the Veterans’ Foundation Facebook page.
“It was an honour and a privilege to work with and care for so many brave and inspirational people during my service,” said Julie.
“Many of those we cared for had experienced traumatic injuries that had previously been regarded as unsurvivable.
“I remember the day that Mark Ormrod was flown in to us at Headley Court like it was yesterday and I can honestly say that treating and meeting incredible people like him changed my life and my outlook," she added.
“It was almost impossible to feel sorry for these guys because they never once felt sorry for themselves. They just picked themselves up and got on with it.
“How can you not be inspired by an attitude and determination like that?"
Mark Ormrod paid a personal tribute to Julie when he found out that she’d scooped the £7,000 first prize in the Veterans’ Lottery.
“Julie was part of my team when I was going through my recovery and rehabilitation,” said Mark.
"She is a wonderful nurse and a wonderful human being.
“I’m so glad she’s won a prize in the Veterans’ Lottery and I hope the cash helps bring happiness into her life," Mark added.
“This win couldn’t have gone to a nicer, more genuine person.”
Julie is using the money to fund home improvements and she shared the reasons why she plays the Veterans’ Lottery.
“I saw Mark’s film and I just had to sign up to show my support because with this charity you just know that your £10 per month is helping change the lives of so many incredible people like Mark,” Julie continued.
“It’s been a bit of a personal mission of mine to get my friends and work colleagues to sign up and they now play for exactly the same reasons as me.
“Our servicemen and women deserve our help and, in my eyes, playing the Veterans’ Lottery is one of the best ways to do it."
Julie continues to support British veterans through her vital work with the military charity Help For Heroes.
She provides health coaching, advocacy and direct community support to veterans to enable them to successfully engage with the NHS services in their local communities.
January’s second prize went the way of John from Addlestone, who took home £3,500, while 80 further lucky winners found £120 in their bank accounts after the first draw of 2024.
If you’d like to join Julie and our other winners, you can sign up to play the Veterans’ Lottery today – you’ll be joining a community of over 100,000 people making amazing things happen for British veterans all over the UK.
