We all dream of the day that we strike it lucky on that big jackpot. But have you thought about what to do with all that money after you win?
I’m sure that most of us have at least one thing in mind, whether it be that car you always wanted but could never afford, or a lovely new house with the mortgage paid off. Some of you may have thought even further, deciding to put money aside for your children to go to University or have a big family holiday.
Here’s a list of 10 winners over 10 years that have made it big in the National Lottery!
1995: Elaine Thompson, 63, of Killingworth, Tyne and Wear, won £2,704,666
Elaine shares a four-bedroom detached house with husband Derek, 61.
“I kept a journal for my children since they were born and it tells the story of the Lottery win and how it changed our lives.”
“They had to work throughout their teens and seeing them go to university and buy their own houses – with much of their own savings – was a defining moment for me.
1996: Deana Sampson, 58, of Sheffield, South Yorks, won £5,439,681
Deana has two children and two grandchildren.
“I had £3.60 in my bank account when I won, and life was a real struggle.
“I bought my parents a bungalow and took 22 family members on a luxury holiday to Jamaica.
“I spent £800,000 on a yacht on my 40th birthday.”
1997: Cheryl Brudenell, 52, of Stockton-on-Tees, won £916,915
Cheryl has two children and lives with husband Mark, 54.
“The Lottery win has allowed me to indulge in my passion for Robbie Williams, but I’ve never totted up how much it has cost to see him around 40 times in concert, in places as far flung as Barcelona, Vegas, Berlin and Belgium.”
1998: Viv Moss, 68, of Newquay, Cornwall, won £6,048,499
Viv lives with husband Kevin, 73, and has two children.
“The shock of winning was like an unexpected death. I had sickness and diarrhoea for a fortnight, and lost a stone in weight, going from a size 16 to a 12.
“I taught hair and beauty at a local college, but I couldn’t let the class down, so I carried on working for eight months until the end of their course.
“We went from a four-bed home to a five-bed, and drove our Ford Escort to a Range Rover showroom.
“The salesman was called Rupert and when we told him we’d pay cash, he said ‘You’ve either just won the Lottery, or sold a business.’
“We told him we had hit the jackpot. 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.”
1999: Sam Lange, 47, from Seaford, won £1,575,878
Sam lives with partner Malcolm and has three children as well as a stepson.
“When I won the Lottery, I had been saving £50 a week to go and see my dad in New Zealand, after four years apart. We were raising my partner’s son and I was working weekends while Malcolm worked shifts.
“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, built an extension and had three children of our own.
“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.”
2000: Ray Wragg, 81, from Sheffield, won £7,649,520
Ray sadly lost his wife Barbara last year but lives in the five-bed bungalow she chose after their win.
“The morning after I won the Lottery, 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 said ‘Don’t bother Dave – I won the lot!’
“I had never been out of the country when we won the Lottery, and I didn’t even own a passport.
“My wife Barbara didn’t like flying, so we’d been on holiday to Torquay for 31 years on the trot.
“After winning, we decided to try a cruise and we loved it. We bought a Range Rover, and filled it with Easter Eggs for the local kids from a school in Sheffield, and paid for them to have a holiday at a farm.
“I’ll never forget, they had never seen rabbits or guinea pigs – and they were scared. I read about a local boy whose bike had been stolen, and I delivered him a new mountain bike. The look on his face was perhaps my happiest Lottery moment.”
2001: Tom Naylor, 64, from Wheaton Aston, Staffs, won £15,528,286
Tom lives with wife Rita, 62, in a four-bed barn conversion.
“I was absolutely convinced I’d win the Lottery one day, and I’d tell my friends ‘When my numbers come up, I’ll get a car for every day of the week.’
“Now, I have two Aston Martins, three Jaguars, a Ford Mustang, and a Land Rover Discovery. Not bad considering my old car was a Ford Granada.
“My biggest extravagance was flying nine family members to New York via Concorde. It cost £25,000 and when we saw three giant white stretch limos waiting for us outside the airport, it was an incredible moment.
“When we arrived at the hotel, all the tourists pulled their cameras out because they thought we were famous. I felt ten foot tall.”
2002: Sarah Ibbetson, 41, from Leeds, won £3,013,767
Sarah lives with husband Aldan and their three children.
“I was on maternity leave as a dental nurse when we won, and our daughter Alicia was six months old.
“It meant I could be a stay-at-home mum for her, and our other two children who arrived later.
“We were only 24 when we won, and the first things we bought were a Mercedes and a Porsche.
“We went into the car showroom, and when the guy asked how we’d pay, and we said debit card, his face was a picture.
“We made it onto the Sunday Times Rich List, and we’ve still got a copy, with our name at the bottom.
“We went from a three-bed semi to a five-bed detached, and started our own number plate business which we run together in our office.”
2003: Trish Emson, 49, from Rotherham, won £1,747,728
Trish lives with partner Graham Norton and son Benjamin.
“We had been saving for IVF after trying for five and a half years for a baby, and I lost four stone in weight because I wanted to qualify for the treatment.
“I was due to start fertility treatment in January, and I was so happy when we won, because I knew we could afford more attempts if our first didn’t work.
“A few weeks after our win, we were invited to an England Rugby game, but the champagne made me feel sick. Two weeks later, we discovered I was pregnant, and Benjamin was born in August.
“It was like winning the Lottery all over again. We bought him a babygro which said ‘Millionaire in training.’ Our greatest moment was flying Benjamin to Lapland when he was eight – and seeing the look on his face when he met Santa.”
2004: Ben Woods, 38 from Liverpool, won £2,485,736
Ben lives with wife Leanne and their three children.
“I was 23, single and living at home when I won. I finished my shift as a railway guard, and went to the local pub. Mum and dad were sitting there,
white with shock, because they’d checked my numbers.
“Dad said he needed to talk to me alone in the toilets, and I thought ‘What have I done?’ I was sure I was about to be told off.
“The money has paid for 12 trips to New York, holidays for my mum and dad, a house for my sister and a five-bed house for me.
“I met my future wife nine months after the win, and when I turned up to collect her for our first date in a brand new Range Rover, her Nan said ‘I
think he’s a drug dealer!’
“Now, we have three children and I’m a stay at home dad. My life has totally changed – for the better.”
2005: Sarah Cockings, 36, from Whitley Bay, won £3,045,705
Sarah lives with her partner and three children.
“My eldest son is six, and he tells everyone I won the Lottery. He came home from school and said ‘I told my teacher you won the jackpot and she was laughing.’
“I bought my house outright, and I have a nice car but I live a very normal life. I went back to university to study after winning, because my Mum so wanted that picture of me graduating – which she has now on her mantelpiece.
“My sisters and I live just seven minutes from each other, and our children are all best friends. Just after I won, I bought my two sisters boob jobs, and everyone remembers that.
“But now I’ve had one myself, because mine were wrecked by breastfeeding. Now, it’s my two-year boob birthday. I love them!”