NOW THAT’S A LOTTO LUCK!
MEET the luckiest group of people ever — 25 winners who hit the jackpot over 25 consecutive years of The National Lottery. To celebrate the anniversary of the first ever draw on November 19, 1994, winners spanning a quarter century of good luck lined up for celebrity photographer Sven Arnstein. AMANDA CABLE hears their remarkable — and moving — stories.
Front row( left to right)
1: WE SENT AN ENTIRE SCHOOL ON HOLIDAY
RAY WRAGG, 81, from Sheffield won £7,649,520 on January 22, 2000. He lost his wife, Barbara, last year.
The morning after the numbers came up, I rang my boss to resign. When I told him I’d had a win, he said: ‘That reminds me, I need to check my ticket.’ I replied: ‘Don’t bother, Dave — I won the lot!’
I had never been out of the country. My wife, Barbara, didn’t like flying, so we’d been on holiday to Torquay for 31 years.
After winning, we decided to try a cruise and we loved it. We paid for some local kids from school to have a holiday at a farm. They had never seen rabbits or guinea pigs — and they were scared. I’ll never forget it.
2: AT LAST, I COULD SEE DAD IN NEW ZEALAND
SAM LANGE, 47, won £1,575,878 on May 8, 1999. She lives in Seaford, East Sussex, with her partner Malcolm and has three children and a stepson.
When I won, I had been saving up £50 a week to go and see my dad in new Zealand, after four years apart.
We were suddenly able to visit Dad for a month and take him to places he’d never dreamed — like flying up a mountain and swimming with dolphins. It was a £5,000 trip, but worth every penny. We stayed in the same house, and built an extension.
We also bought a holiday home in France which has given us many happy family holidays together. I was able to give up work, and devote myself to being a mum.
3: MY ‘ROBBIE HOBBY’ HAS TAKEN ME EVERYWHERE
CHERYL BRUDENELL, 52, from Stockton-on-Tees, won £916,915 on February 22, 1997. She lives with husband Mark, 54. They have two grown-up children.
The win has allowed me to indulge in my passion for the singer Robbie Williams. I’ve seen him 40 times in concert around the world.
We booked to see him in Tallinn, estonia, and didn’t even know where that was. I finally met him in person in Las Vegas last year. I was starstruck, but he gave me a hug and he was lovely.
I call it my Robbie hobby — but there’s worse things I could be doing with my money!
4: IT PAID FOR MY CANCER TREATMENT
TRACY FIELD, 51, won £2,561,513 in July 30, 2008, and lives in Benfleet, Essex. She has two grown-up sons.
I hAD been struggling as a single mum doing three jobs and recovering from a cancer treatment the previous year. I went from a three-bed semi to a four- bed detached, which cost £430,000.
I’ve also helped my two sons get homes, but the best thing that I spend the money on is private medical treatment. I found some more lumps, and instead of waiting, I was able to have the scans instantly.
5: AFTER FIVE YEARS, I COULD AFFORD IVF
TRISH EMSON, 49, from Rotherham won £1,747,728 on October 25, 2003. She lives with partner Graham and their son.
We hAD been saving for IVF after trying for five-and-a-half years for a baby. I was due to start fertility treatment the following January, and I was so happy when we won, because I knew that we could afford more attempts if our first didn’t work.
Shortly after our win we discovered I was pregnant: Benjamin was born in August. It was like winning the Lottery all over again.
We bought him a babygro which said: ‘Millionaire in training.’
Middle row( left to right)
6: I GOT A FAST CAR - THE DOG HATED IT!
VIV MOSS, 68, from Newquay, Cornwall, won £6,048,499 on October 3, 1998. She lives with her husband Kevin, 73, and they have have two grown-up children.
The shock of winning was like an unexpected death. I had sickness for a fortnight, and lost a stone in weight. I was teaching hair and beauty at a local college, but I couldn’t let the class down.
We went from a four-bedroom home to a five-bedroom, and drove our Ford escort to a Range Rover showroom. When we said we’d pay cash, he said: ‘You’ve either just won the Lottery, or sold a business.’ I swapped my eight-year-old Ford Focus for a convertible, but the dog didn’t like the wind in his ears, so I later chose a Bentley instead.
7: A JACKPOT AFTER MONTHS OF ILLNESS
DIONE BUSS, 53, won £1,888,630 on September 28, 2013. She lives in Bridgwater, Somerset, with husband Richard, 54.
I hAD just returned to work for the council after months of sick leave because of my MS. It improved my health because my condition can be made worse by stress. Richard and I went to see the Great Wall of China — and standing there, it really hit home that our lives had changed.
8: A £2 GIFT FROM MY DAD DID THE TRICK
LIBBY ELLIOT, 57, won £2,159,664 on August 18, 2012. She lives in Aberdeenshire and has four grown-up children.
MY DAD gave me the money for my Lotto ticket. I’d taken his grandchildren to visit him in hospital, and he handed them pocket money then gave me £2. On a whim, I put it on the Lucky Dip on my way home.
The day after I won, Dad had an appointment at the fracture clinic after a fall. I took him to hospital, and he turned and said: ‘ Look at you. You’re a multi-millionaire and yet you’re sitting here beside me.’
That still makes me cry. Dad died just before last Christmas.
I bit my nails before I won, but now I have beautiful sparkly nails and I love my regular manicures.
9: I HAD A SUDDEN URGE TO CHECK MY TICKET
ANNE CANAVAN, 58, from Northern Ireland won £1,054,000 on EuroMillions on August 28, 2015.
I WAS washing my car on the afternoon of the draw, and I said to my neighbour: ‘It’s about time someone from around here won the Lottery.’ The following morning, at 1am, I suddenly had the urge to check the