‘OUR £350,000 JACKPOT JOY’
A COUPLE who won a huge lottery prize say it would never have happened if they hadn’t moved to the Valleys.
David, 62, and Penny Bradley, 59, who manage The Bute Arms in Aberdare, won £355,683.80 after matching the five main numbers and one Lucky Star number in the Euromillions draw on July 6.
But the couple have no plans to retire early. They say they love working at the pub and being part of the community, and plan to enjoy their winnings by taking more holidays, including a fun-filled cruise and holiday for Penny’s 60th birthday that will take them to Boston, New York, Orlando, Miami and Las Vegas.
David said: “I had a ‘Del Boy moment’ in the car when I realised I’d won and celebrated at the wheel. When I checked my numbers, the National Lottery terminal win sound went off and I knew that meant we had won a big amount and had to call Camelot.
“Initially I thought we had won about £30,000, but never in a million years did I think we’d won 10 times that.
“I was in my car when I phoned Camelot and was in absolute shock. We are overjoyed to have had such a big win.
“The money will of course help us have a more comfortable retirement when we do finally hang up the aprons, but for now we will continue doing what we love and enjoy a few holidays while we’re at it.”
When David returned to the pub, he told Penny he wanted to chat to her in the cellar.
“He had the biggest smile on his face,” Penny said. “I couldn’t talk – I wanted to pass out. I still can’t believe it really.”
Prior to working at The Bute Arms, the Bradleys worked at the Victoria Park in Canton, Cardiff, for eight years until fate took them to Aberdare in December 2016.
Penny said: “We were really sad to say goodbye to our great team and loyal customers in Cardiff.
“However, if we hadn’t come to Aberdare, we never would have bought our lucky ticket, so I guess Lady Luck looked down on us and it was fate that made it all happen.”
The Bradleys have been playing the lottery for as long as they can remember and got their winning ticket at Aberdare Post Office, around the corner from the pub where they work.
Their winning numbers were 08, 30, 33, 38, 48 and their Lucky Star number was 02.
Penny said: “We haven’t bought anything yet – we still can’t believe it really.
“We will upgrade our car but the cruise was already booked.
“But it will be good for us when we do retire as when we retire we can still have a nice lifestyle without still having to work.”
David and Penny are keen fundraisers and regularly hold charitable events to raise money for a number of different causes, including fundraising to buy defibrillators for the community.
They feel winning the Euromillions has come as a bit of a thank you for what they have done.
Penny said: “Fundraising and donating to charity is a big passion of ours as we think it is so important to help worthy causes and give back to the community.
“Just recently, our quizmaster’s sister fell ill and was taken to Prince Charles Hospital.
“We wanted to show our appreciation to him and the hospital and managed to raise more than £560 in three days to help buy fans for the wards.
“All the work we have done for different charities has been very gratifying, and part of me feels that winning on the Euromillions is reward for the work we have done.
“We have worked hard for around 30 years in the pub trade.
“It’s true what they say – you really have got to be in it to win it.”