Winning the lottery is something many of us dream of, but for one group of people from Wales it is a reality. A group of 20 winners with a combined wealth of £15million keep in touch, regularly meet up, and have a shared goal of using their winnings to help others.
During lockdown they took part in various fundraising events for a Welsh hospice, supported a Welsh pet food bank, and this week they combined forces again to host a glitzy Easter afternoon tea and dance for members of local Cardiff community group Elderfit, to welcome spring and celebrate the return of live dance sessions after the constraints of the last two years.
The setting was appropriate as the team of millionares' chose Cardiff's Coal Exchange for the nostalgic dance, as it’s where the first million pound deal in history was struck and where the first million pound cheque was signed – way back in 1907, before the coal exporting Cardiff Docks were revitalised to become Cardiff Bay. Read a story of the controversial skatepark finally set to go ahead thanks to a lottery windfall.
Lottery winner Nigel Willetts from Caerphilly, was delighted to be there waiting on tables, pouring drinks and making sure everyone was having a good time. For him, Friday the 13th was the opposite of unlucky for him in 2014 when he won £1million on the Euromillions raffle.
The landlord of the Bridgend Inn at Bedwas says: “It was a very lucky for me. I’m not normally very superstitious but when you realise it is Friday the 13th it is on your mind. But I won my fortune on that day – and it will always be lucky for me now.
"I bought the ticket on the Friday, but had forgotten to look at it until the Saturday. I just couldn't believe it when I got the ticket out of my pocket and realised I had won."
The father-of-four still has the pub, and runs it with the help of his sister, and has also used his winnings to invest in two trampoline parks in Cardiff and Swansea, and buying properties in south Wales.
"The win has been fantastic," he says. "It has helped me to do lots of things I wanted to do. It just helps to give you more choices, like going on holiday, taking the children to Florida or investing in a property. And it is nice to be able to do things like organising events for others."
That is something fellow winner Ian Pearce agrees with. He has just returned from family caravan holiday in west Wales with partner Lyn Sexton when they realised that their numbers had come up on the EuroMillions Raffle in 2012. Read more about their win here.
Lyn, wo was working as a physiotherapy technician at Cardiff's Royal Infirmary at the time, remembers the moment they realised their life has changed completely: "We got back home on Sunday afternoon from west Wales and I was on the computer and just let out a scream.
"Ian ran in and thought I was having a heart attack. He said ‘check the numbers, check the numbers’ and we realised we’d won. We thought ‘oh my god’, it just doesn’t happen to ordinary folk."
The Merthyr couple, who have relocated to New Quay, Ceredigion, are always keen to lend a hand. During a break from dancing and pouring Prosecco at the Easter event, Ian explained why it was important for them to "pay back" to society after their win.
"Winning a big amount on the lottery is fantastic," he says. "But it is really important to be able to give something back too. Money can't buy your health, but it does help to take some of the burden off and it is great being able to help out family and to be able to take part in events for charity.
"We won a nice amount to enhance our lives, and it is nice to be able to enhance the lives of others too."
He was joking around with Sue Roberts whose husband was part of a syndicate from Ferndale that won £4.3million in 2011. They, and the other winners, have formed a strong bond and say they are "like family".
"We are like a little family," says Sue. "We have done lots of things together over the years and it is great to have that support for each other. We all understand what it is like to win the lottery and we all want to be able to help others too."
The National Lottery winners included Chris and Geraldine Bradley from Carmarthen whose grandfather Bob won £3.6 million in 2006. The 84-year-old D-day veteran died a year after the win but had made sure his fortune was in order for his family, friends, charities and good causes.
The great-grandad had had the happiest year of his life splashing out his jackpot millions - and had just come back from a dream holiday with his family. Now, his family are making sure that his determination to help others with the win is being carried on.
Grandson Chris says: "My grandfather didn't like a lot of fuss. The night he won, he didn't want to go to his local as usual as he didn't want people making a big thing of it, but he did enjoy that last year of his life, and we are determined to make sure his legacy is carried on for the good. The win has definitely brought us together as a family, we were able to buy houses for our children so they are nearby, but it is also important to be able to help others too."
Richard and Faye Davies from Brecon who won £1million know how difficult the past two years has been for people, and the importance of having events like the one they had organised for older members of the community.
Faye was a mental health nurse when they won in 2018, and the money has enabled her to retrain as a counsellor.
"Just before we won, we had been trying to work out how we could raise enough money to buy the house we were renting in Brecon," she says. "We had been doing the sums and couldn't work out how we were going to be able to have enough for the deposit and we were under pressure time wise as well because the landlord wanted to sell.
"The win meant we were able to buy the house, and make the changes we really wanted to. The mahogany kitchen went straight away. We also have a rescue dog who doesn't really like being around people so we were also able to buy our own field so he has plenty of room to run around."
The win also introduced the couple to new friends.
"It is great to be able to speak to other winners who know and understand the experiences you have been through," says Faye. "It is like having a whole new community, and during lockdown we had lots of different events like quiz nights on Zoom and making hampers for the City Hospice in Cardiff.
"When you win your life changes very dramatically, very quickly and then it calms down and it is nice to be able to talk freely to people who really know how that all feels."
Steve and Lesley Schiltz, who moved from London to Pontardawe, before winning a £1million windfall on EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker in December 2019.. You can read how a lucky move to Wales changed their lives here
“We’ve all had such a lovely afternoon,” said lorry driver turned haulage boss, Steve. “We help with a few charities. We were lucky enough to have our win – I still can’t believe it, to be honest – so we’ve always been keen to try and pass on some of that luck for other people to enjoy.
“Lesley and I try to keep busy, as we’ve always worked hard and that’s good for mental health, so is being able to socialise again. The last two years have been hard for lots of people, so we’re always keen to get involved with community projects like this and to help out wherever we can.”
Davinia Pritchard, who only recently retired as an ambulance call handler, won £1 on Matchmaker in 2015 was delighted to see all the smiling faces.
"Winning the lottery gives you stability and security," she said. "But seeing the smiles on the faces of people you have been able to help is priceless. It is not always about money, it is about making memories. The other day my husband and husband Jeff and I went to St David's with a flask of tea and just watched the view, and it was wonderful. The win has also meant we are able to help our three children, and seven grandchildren."
And the event was a huge success. Elderfit member Hilary Moginie, 70, has been a member for five years, and said: “We have a fabulous class on a Monday morning that sets all of us for the week. We laugh a lot together and have all been looking forward to the tea dance as we have become friends as well as class devotees.
“The dance this afternoon is all anyone has been talking about for weeks. Over the last two years during Covid, we have missed each other’s company and now it’s like we’ve become long lost friends."
Every week £30million is generated for National Lottery-funded projects like Elderfit, which is just one of more than 6,000 health and wellbeing projects supported by National Lottery funding last year., Camelot also recently donated £1million to charities and organisations helping in the Ukraine.
