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| What's it like to be a big winner? How would it change your life? Find out from the winners themselves as we reveal their stories and discover what they plan to do with their winnings. |
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A grandmother from Nantyglo has become the latest 'Golden Gwent' winner, after scooping a Thunderball jackpot of £250,000 on Saturday 3rd May. Retired factory-worker Eileen Jones, a grandmother of eight, has lived alone in a council flat in Nantyglo since her husband died 11 years ago. Eileen knew of her amazing windfall after she returned home from a Bank Holiday break and checked her numbers on Teletext.
Eileen said: "I had to check the numbers over and over again, because I didn't believe it could be right. I phoned my two sons, Glyn and Robert, and they came over straight away to double check the numbers for me. I am still in shock!"
"I can't believe I have won this sort of money - my late husband was a miner and I worked in a factory. We always got by and had the odd holiday but I never dreamed I would have this much. When my husband died, I had to sell our house and have since moved to a council flat. Now I've got £250,000, I can't wait to buy a house of my own!"
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A couple from Eastbourne have laid down some very solid foundations for the future after scooping a £2,367,330 share of the Lotto jackpot on Saturday 29th March.
John and Jacqui Pinyoun have been playing The National Lottery since it began and can't believe they have now actually won the jackpot. The couple are already starting to plan how to celebrate their win with a new Mini convertible for Jacqui top of the list. A holiday to New Zealand to visit old friends is also on the cards.
John, a Branch Manager at a builder merchants and Jacqui, a Sales Assistant, were delighted to have their Saturday night dinner interrupted when John realised he had matched all six lucky numbers.
John said: "We were watching the Lotto draw, eating cod and chips like we do every week. The first three balls were drawn, and I said to Jacqui that we'd won £10. Then the fourth, fifth and sixth numbers were drawn and we had them all! We couldn't believe it, we were so excited we couldn't finish our dinner and put the rest of it in the bin!"
"We didn't leave the house all evening. We just phoned some close family members and told them the good news. That evening, I put the ticket in my dressing table draw, which is right next to my bed, as I didn't want to let it out of my sight!"
"This is a really exciting win, not just for us but for the rest of the family, especially our three children as we want to look after them just as they have looked after us over the years."
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| Norman Davidson £10,000* a year for 10 years |
A Carlisle truck driver is looking forward to extra special birthday celebrations for the next decade, after scratching his way to the top prize of £10,000* every birthday for 10 years on The National Lottery's Birthday Bonus Scratchcard.
In a twist of fate, Norman Davidson, was actually given the Scratchcard as a gift on his birthday on 10th March. After opening his birthday card from partner, Carolyn Forester, he scratched the enclosed Birthday Bonus Scratchcard and discovered he will be banking a cheque for £10,000 every birthday for the next 10 years, as well as winning £1,000 now.
Norman chose Brunton Park - the home of his beloved football club Carlisle United - as the venue to celebrate his win. Now Norman, Carolyn and children, Scott, Christopher and Joanne, are looking forward to being able to splash the cash on a little more luxury, with a new car and a family holiday to Greece topping their shopping list. The down-to-earth driver also insists that he will keep on trucking and intends to put some of his birthday windfall away for a 'rainy day'.
Norman said: "Carolyn and I had gone to Blackpool with our teenage son Scott for the weekend before my birthday. On the way back we stopped off at Tebay Services and, as I later found out, Carolyn saw the Birthday Bonus Scratchcard and bought it for me.
"Family and friends were all gathered round on my birthday so I decided to do the Scratchcard there and then. I was more surprised than anyone when I realised I'd matched the months to win the top prize. I nearly fell off my chair!"
*The top prize of £10,000 every birthday for 10 years is subject to UK tax as applicable. |
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Going online for the first time to play Lotto proved a positive move for an electrical engineer who landed the £2,855,067 Lotto jackpot on Wednesday 12th March.
Peter Heal is now one of the most eligible bachelors in Devon and is already planning for the future with a second home in France at top of his list. The cable laying supervisor has been playing Lotto for some years, but it was the first time he had gone online with his lucky numbers. Peter said: "My parents have retired to France, in the Poitou-Charentes region south of the Loire, so it would be nice to have a property over there, perhaps one with a vineyard. I'll keep my house in Newton Abbot though and I'm looking to get a new car."
Two of Peter's winning numbers, 38 and 41, were taken from his call sign at Western Power Distribution, while his birthday is the 26th January making up the 26 and 1, and his lucky number is 13. The number 47 was chosen at random. Peter said: "I was at home when I checked them. It's been quite a shock to the system and I'm still not sure whether I am going to continue working." |
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A group of shop assistants from Louth won't be travelling by Shanks Pony after saddling up an amazing £534,848 Lotto jackpot win in the draw on Saturday 23rd February. The syndicate of six only found out last week that they had won, one week after the draw, when group leader Glynis Charles, a shop assistant at T&C Robinson Equestrian Shop in Louth, and her husband, Neil checked the ticket after watching Jonathan Ross on the television.
Glynis said: "I was in the kitchen when I saw the ticket and realised I hadn't actually checked whether we'd won anything. When I saw all my numbers appear on Teletext I must have checked it a dozen times more. I even asked Neil to have a look and when we realised we had won we both sat down and stared at each other. We then checked Teletext again to see how many winners there were, of which there were nine, did our sums and found out we'd won over half a million. We were stunned." She continued; "We couldn't sleep that night and phoned the other members of the syndicate the next morning to tell them the news!"
"We then all met up at work, called the National Lottery to verify the ticket and huddled round the phone whilst they told us how much we had won - £534,848. As there are six in the syndicate we all got £89,141. It's not life changing, but it certainly gives you security. I also have five grand children and one on the way so there will be lots of treating with possibly a holiday for everyone."
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