A woman spotted an 'angel' in the sky over a church where the 'ghost of Christmas' is said to be buried just moments before winning the lottery.
On New Year's Eve, Tracey Preston was leaving the church of St Endellion in Port Isaac, Cornwall, when she looked up to the sky and came across something rather peculiar.
She saw clouds shaped like a giant angel reaching down towards her with the light of the sun shining through its outstretched hand.
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"I looked up and I could not believe what I was seeing," Tracey said. "I grabbed my phone and took pictures. I was in awe and feeling extremely humbled. Never would I see that image again. I hope it's a good omen for 2024."
Then when she got home, Tracey realised she had won a nice amount on the lottery - a coincidence, perhaps?
"When I got home that day, I had an email from the National Lottery saying I’d won £214. A good omen indeed," she said.
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St Endellion Church is somewhat famous in that part of the world as it's the final resting place of Dr Miles Marley, the man whose name was the inspiration for Charles Dickens' Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol.
Tracey's friend and Cornwall historian Barry West discovered the Dickens' links to Cornwall and Miles Marley's gravestone in the churchyard.
It was found that Miles Marley passed away at the age of 56 in 1854, someone who is believed to be the inspiration behind the naming of Scrooge’s former business partner, who arrives to haunt him from the grave.
Funnily enough, the places where the ghost of Christmas Present takes the misery that is Scrooge bears a striking resemblance to the Cornish moors and standing stones.
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As well as the 18th-century Longships lighthouse at Land’s End, these are all places Dickens had visited just a year before the world-renowned book came out.
But as for the angel formation captured by Tracey, that is very special indeed.
West said: "If you look closely you will see the most amazing angel. This must surely be one of the most iconic images created by nature for Christmas 2023. Perhaps this was the Angel Gabriel or maybe St Endellieneta looking over us?"
Saint Endelienta was a Cornish saint of the fifth and sixth centuries. She is also thought to be a daughter of the Welsh King Brychan.
Featured Image Credit: CornwallLive/BPM/WikipediaTopics: Weird, National Lottery, UK News