The look on her face says it all ...

Fork poised midway between plate and mouth, Ali Waterworth looks on in wide-eyed shock as she is surprised by a TV crew for her sterling charity work.

And for the founder of Linthwaite-based charity Ruddi’s Retreat, which provides respite holidays for families with seriously ill children, being the focus of the National Lottery’s Big Surprise meant meeting up with a restaurant full of people who owe her a debt of gratitude.

The Big Surprise is a 90-second weekly slot during the ad break of Saturday night primetime ITV shows meaning local hero, Ali, from Huddersfield, is set to get national recognition with around five million people expected to tune in.

Surrounded by people that have benefited from her respite centre Ruddi's Retreat, founder Ali Waterworth is surprised by the National Lottery.

For Ali’s Big Surprise The National Lottery helped fill a restaurant with people that Ruddi’s Retreat has helped over the years - most of whom Ali has never met - to surprise, honour and thank her in person ... and filmed the results.

Ali said: “I just can’t put into words how I felt. It was just amazing – a real mix of emotions and I just couldn’t stop crying. It was just incredible to see so many people turning out for me. I could not believe it.”

Ruddi’s Retreat, a caravan retreat in Filey, was set up by Ali after her invaluable experience of just such a retreat when her son was ill as a baby.

Now aged nine, Ruddi, who suffered from a rare form of cancer, was recently a guest at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Surrounded by people that have benefited from her respite centre Ruddi's Retreat, founder Ali Waterworth is surprised by the National Lottery.

Ruddi’s Retreat first received National Lottery funding in July 2013 when a grant of £9,986 was used to provide additional support and caravan equipment. Four years later it received a further £5,400 in May 2017 to improve outdoor space by creating a sensory area. The space is also being used to teach young people and staff about gardening as well as growing fruit and vegetables.

Ali added: “I cannot thank the National Lottery enough. It has literally been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me – and something I will never, ever forget. I now hope to go on and help even more people.”

In Huddersfield the National Lottery has pumped around £90m into 1,600 projects. Across Yorkshire and Humberside more than 36,000 projects have received National Lottery grants.

The National Lottery’s Big Surprise kicks off this Saturday and Ali’s surprise will be down at 8.20pm.