DEVIZES National Lottery winner Andrea Holmes who took home £2.5 million in 2002 showed she was still in festive spirit 16 years later when she helped host a Christmas party for 75 young carers.

Ms Holmes, 41, who was a hairdresser when she hit the jackpot, showed she could still turn heads with her styling by giving a number of the youngsters a new look.

The party for 75 youngsters aged from eight to 16 supported by Action For Family Carers included makeover sessions, a mocktail bar, festive photobooth, reindeer rodeo and all manner of disco-craziness as the children were treated like true VIPs by a group of National Lottery winners including Ms Holmes.

Ms Holmes said: "These young people are massively affected by caring for someone close to them who has a long-term illness, a physical or sensory impairment, learning difficulties, mental illness or is affected by alcohol/substance misuse.

"To think these children have such a responsibility at such a young age is really very humbling.

“We all hope that the party we have laid on shows our VIP guests how much they are valued, what an amazing job they are doing and also gives them a chance to really have fun. Judging by the shrieks of joy I think they are."

Head of carer services for the charity, Heather Beach said: “As a charity, we work very hard to make a positive difference to the lives of carers and young carers. In the UK there are 700,000 young carers whose life is in some way restricted because of the need to take responsibility for the care of a person on a regular basis.

“We work closely with local schools to ensure young carers are adequately supported as well as running club nights at local youth centres where the children can meet friends, share any problems or simply relax.

"While we can provide the day-to-day support, events such as this are out of the question so for these lottery winners to give up their time, and so close to Christmas, is simply magical. We want to thank everyone for creating such a memorable and special event. This is one VIP party I’m sure will be spoken of for many years to come.”

The lottery winners started by decorating and prepping for the party and then hosted the evening by serving food and drinks and becoming entertainers.

After her Lotto win Ms Holmes spent money on cars, holidays and property. She tried her hand at running a fashion shop in Devizes but Cyan closed in 2008 three years after she opened the business with her brother John.