What the £25m Lotto ladies did next... & it may surprise you!
Ex-NHS canteen staff still shop at Lidl, take holidays in Tenby and proud to call their steel town home
THE canteen women who scooped £25million on the Lotto a year ago say it has not changed them – with one still driving an old Honda.
Four of the six-strong syndicate sat down with the Mirror to discuss life after the massive win.
Louise Ward, 38, Julie Amphlett, 51, Sian Jones, 55 and Doreen Thompson, 57, still all live in Port Talbot, South Wales, shop at Lidl and holiday in Tenby.
The women, who dished out food to patients at the local hospital, insisted the money would never change them.
The steel town is one of Britain’s most deprived but the winners insist they would not dream of moving out.
Julie said: “I haven’t even moved house. Why would I? We don’t know anyone anywhere else.
“I thought about a luxury car so I test drove an Aston Martin but it frightened me so I still use my 15-year-old Honda. It only just passed its MoT.
“I might treat myself to a mini but that’s about it. I am actually more careful with my money now, not less.”
The group have given up work and splashed out on their homes and families, buying them houses nearby so they can enjoy time with their grandchildren. But they are determined to keep their feet on the ground. Sian said: “It was overwhelming at the beginning. Don’t get me wrong. It’s very nice not working but you do miss the structure and seeing the other girls. It was a big part of my life.
“We still shop in Lidl, even if people do look at you funny sometimes.
“But people always tell us the win could not have happened to a nicer bunch of girls and we love hearing that.”
The biggest change for mum-of-two Louise was marrying fiance Mark Haran, who has now given up his steelworks job. Just before her win she had considered quitting the syndicate due to the cost. Yesterday she was all smiles as she sipped champagne in the same hotel where she tied the knot in March.
She said: “It was booked a year before we won the money and we just kept it exactly the same, no bells or whistles. The only difference was we could have more guests.
“It was nice to pay it all off and go on a honeymoon to Cancun which we could not have afforded before.” Not all the menfolk have given up work. Julie’s husband still works as a decorator, Doreen’s has started a bus company and Sian’s is an engineer at the steelworks.
And Louise’s Mark has not quite downed tools, either. She joked: “He was a decorator so I have re-employed him to do up the house. Of course I’m paying him.”
Mum-of-three Doreen has fulfilled her wish of holidays to Florida and other exotic locations, such as Tenby, West Wales. She said: “My husband did buy a BMW but I don’t like it. We have had some nice holidays like to Florida, Spain and Tenby. This lot call me Judith Chalmers.” Doreen bought the former Royal British Legion building in nearby Ystalyfera and is converting it into a home. But in doing so she saved the war memorial.
She said: “It came with the cenotaph on the land. There were fears it would have to move but we were not having any of that so we made sure we donated the land it’s on back to the council.”
I went for a test drive in an Aston Martin...it scared me. I’ll stick with my old Honda JULIE AMPHLETT ONE YEAR AFTER WINNING A FORTUNE ON LOTTO
THE canteen ladies who won the Lotto say it hasn’t changed them at all.
They’re still shopping at Lidl, still holidaying in Tenby... and still dishing up happiness.