Our children need 24 hour care.. winning the lottery has made such a difference to their lives
£1m pair reveal long-term plan for kids
TWO lottery winners are giving their autistic children who need 24-hour care the life they always dreamed of – thanks to their £1million jackpot.
Darren Donaghey, 34, was lauded as the “luckiest man in Britain” thanks to his £5 Monopoly Classic scratchcard win four years after clinching top prize in a radio contest, Punching Above Your Weight.
He won a trip to Greece after friends ribbed him about how lucky he was to have wife Kate, 29, by his side. A year on from his latest prize, they have transformed their loved ones’ lives.
They left their £50,000 former council house in Walker, Newcastle, to move six miles into a £460,000 five-bedroom detached home in upmarket Gosforth.
The property provides more space for their seven-year-old son and daughter, four, who are severely autistic.
Former call centre worker Darren said: “One of the first things I thought was, ‘I’m going to be able to give up work’. I can help Kate.
“I had a sabbatical to give myself time to think about it, then gave up. Hopefully I’ll never have to go back to 9-5.”
Their “biggest wish” was more room for their children. “It makes such a difference to their lives,” Darren said.
Ex-hairdresser Kate would love to be a plasterer and intends to help with DIY if they invest in property.
“If anything, we have almost been too cautious,” she said. “Apart from the house, we’ve not really treated ourselves. We wanted to look after our family and friends.
“That’s the best feeling. But we knew we had to make longterm plans for the children.
“We got financial advice, and knew we had to be careful. They may not be independent, so there’ll have to be support.”
Darren said he did miss the routine of work but added: “Friends told me, ‘You don’t get that Sunday afternoon dread or Monday morning blues!’”
Mum Stella, 69, elected to stay in the family home, and his brother Troy, 47, has their old house. Kate gave help to parents Diane and Alan and siblings Avril and Steven. Darren said their win was a “big responsibility, especially when you have kids”.
“You don’t want to waste it. We have had to focus on the long term, that’s why we have not bought a flash car,” he said.
On winning the contest on Metro Radio in 2014, he added: “There were lots of comments, people saying, ‘You must be rich or well endowed’.
“But I had already met Kate when I won.
“All our friends and family knew it was for love.”
Lottery riches