Peter gets his gloves on a knockout £1MMillion Lotto prize

Now, the 73-year-old from Merthyr Tydfil is looking forward to fulfilling the dream of a lifetime: taking a ringside seat at a boxing match in New York. He said, “I’ve always wanted to see a big fight night at Madison Square Garden – now I can finally do it!”

Peter, who matched five main numbers and the Bonus Ball in the Lotto draw on 6th September 2025, is proud of Merthyr Tydfil’s illustrious boxing heritage. Local legends including Johnny Owen – the first Welshman to hold the British bantamweight title in more than 60 years – and Eddie Thomas – who won the British welterweight title in 1949 – have statues in the Welsh town.

As a younger man, Peter used to train with some of Merthyr’s boxing greats and he’s always felt inspired by their dedication and skill. He said, “There’s such a strong boxing culture here and I’ve always looked up to the fighters who put Merthyr on the map.”

It was a spontaneous decision to play Lotto that put Peter on the path to his incredible win. He said, “I was doing some food shopping and picked a random selection of numbers. When I realised I’d won, I genuinely did not believe it. The shop assistant scanned the ticket and the screen said I had to contact The National Lottery.

Struggling to believe his fantastic luck, Peter even went to another shop to double-check his ticket. He said, “It is still sinking in that I have won such a life-changing amount of money.”

Peter’s tight-knit family are enjoying his good fortune as much as he is. He and his wife Rosa, 73, live in a house in the centre of Merthyr, but intend to move to a new bungalow when they find the right place. He added, “Being able to provide a new home more suited to our needs means more to me than anything else I could do with the money – and I can’t wait to start house hunting.”

3rd November 2025