Winning a everyday living-altering amount of cash is usually a aspiration harboured by many, but what is life like when that actually occurs?

"Ray, We have three numbers!"

Sat in your house on a Saturday night, nurse Barbara Wragg experienced switched on the Tv set to have the Nationwide Lottery benefits.

Offering a managing commentary to her spouse Ray, All those 3 matching figures within the pair's ticket immediately grew to become "four", then "5" after which you can astoundingly, the magic "6".

Within just 50 percent an hour, the pair learnt that they had gained the £7.6m jackpot and lifestyle experienced adjusted endlessly.


Recalling that moment Practically 1 / 4 of the century on, Ray remembers: "I explained "you might be kidding me?!"

"We were caught for how to proceed and what to say. We have been just flabbergasted."

A person in his eighties sits over a black sofa in the front room. He is Keeping a brass-coloured trophy in The form with the Nationwide Lottery logo
Ray Wragg and spouse Barbara received a Specific trophy from lottery organisers for their philanthropy

Ray, who turns 87 on New Yr's Day, cracked open up a can of Guinness, when Barbara experienced a glass of wine.

The pair sang 'Who wants to be considered a millionaire' as they termed their 3 kids to inform them the news.

"50 percent one hour later we rang Camelot and we learned we might won £7.6m that evening," Ray suggests.

The next simply call roofer Ray, from Sheffield, would make was to his manager, Dave, the following morning.

He was resulting from be again at Focus on a building web site in south Wales at 08:00 GMT to the Monday, which might have expected the then sixty two-yr-outdated to depart household for the four-hour generate in the early hrs of a darkish Winter season morning.

When Ray informed him he experienced made a decision to retire, a astonished Dave responded by asking him tongue-in-cheek, "have you received the lottery?!"

"Perfectly, Of course I have," was Ray's sincere reply.

Wraggs to riches
"I retired that Saturday night in a few respects," Ray says, recalling that weekend in January 2000.

"I didn't understand what to convey but I would in no way have mentioned 'things your work' or anything at all like that. I'm not that sort of particular person."

Even though the development marketplace at some point became "tiring" and concerned him travelling approximately 1,000 miles each week to all 4 corners of the united kingdom, Ray says he relished function.

But the chance of retirement for him and for Barbara, who experienced labored night time shifts within the Royal Hallamshire Healthcare facility for 22 a long time, was much too very good to skip.

The very first thing Ray did Together with the winnings was buy a £52,000 white Range Rover, though the pair also went over a glamorous cruise.

Barbara's dread of traveling experienced previously limited them to domestic holidays.

"I believe we went to Torquay for about 20 years to the trot - all five of us," Ray suggests.

Like most lottery winners, Ray and Barbara took the chance to pass on some in their winnings to their youngsters and various family.

But it absolutely was their generosity to Other individuals exterior their relatives device which would make headlines during the a long time that followed.

They reportedly gave away most of their winnings - earning a rebuke from their economic advisor.


PA A couple dressed in crimson and white Sheffield United shirts maintain champagne flutes bearing the Nationwide Lottery brand aloft. A football bearing the Sheffield United badge is in between their heads.PA
Barbara Wragg experienced worked to be a nurse in Sheffield for many years
Barbara, who died of sepsis in 2018 within the age of 77, as soon as publicly stated their winnings had been "a lot of for 2 individuals".

"We had people today say 'do you not want to keep it for yourselves?'" Ray states now.

"But we ended up inside our sixties (at some time) and we created quite a bit of people pleased."

Tens of 1000's was presented away to your healthcare facility the place Barbara experienced worked, and also on the area children's clinic.

There was also £twelve,000 to allow Globe War Two veterans to return to Monte Cassino in Italy in 2004, sixty many years immediately after Allied Forces won an important victory there.

The couple were remaining touched by a many of the correspondence they received Later on, which provided letters from widows of troopers who had died around the battlefield.


A man in his eighties sits on a black couch in a family room. He is Keeping a black coffee mug. A lampshade is in the track record.
Ray states the lottery transformed his and Barbara's lives, although not them as people
An additional act of philanthropy stands out in Ray's brain.

"We picked up the Sheffield Star newspaper a single night, along with a young lad of eleven or 12 experienced saved his income up to get a motorbike," he remembers.

"He'd long gone to the park and these a few lads had operate off with it and remaining him, the very poor lad."

The Wraggs experienced a mountain bike they'd barely made use of and so referred to as up the Star to make ผล สลาก contact with the boy's spouse and children so they might give it to him.

"You can not buy the expression on his deal with," Ray says. "He was jumping up and down for joy and Driving up and down, as you'd for those who had been a kid."

The few's charity do the job earned them a Particular trophy from Camelot in 2002, together with Invites to Buckingham Palace as well as Pride of Britain awards.

They rubbed shoulders with Richard Branson, Princess Diana's previous butler and the Coronation Avenue Forged, but Ainsley Harriott stands out in Ray's head as on the list of "nicest" stars the pair satisfied.


Sheffield United enthusiast Ray still goes swimming at his area leisure centre 3 early mornings per week and he continues to be a Bramall Lane common on the weekends.

He insists he is never ever experienced any bother from persons given that that massive get 25 decades ago.

"All they've wished to do should they us in the road is rub our shoulder for a little bit of luck and thank us for what we've accomplished for the youngsters.

"We have experienced an excellent time and served lots of folks," he smiles.

Ray suggests he and Barbara remembered their roots and would've remained delighted persons even had they not won the lottery.

"I had been Doing the job, Barbara was Doing the job, the children had been working," he claims. "We had been all right.

"Like other family members do, we saved up.

"It modified our life but not us as individuals.

"Which is stood us in great stead. I continue to have a look at the cost of a pair of socks you already know!"

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