Winning a existence-shifting amount of money is usually a dream harboured by quite a few, but exactly what is daily life like when that really happens?

"Ray, we've got three quantities!"

Sat in the home over a Saturday night, nurse Barbara Wragg had switched about the Tv set to obtain the National Lottery outcomes.

Giving a functioning commentary to her partner Ray, those a few matching numbers about the few's ticket promptly turned "four", then "five" and afterwards astoundingly, the magic "6".

Inside of fifty percent an hour, the pair learnt they'd received the £seven.6m jackpot and everyday living experienced altered forever.


Recalling that minute Virtually 1 / 4 of the century on, Ray remembers: "I mentioned "you might be kidding me?!"

"We have been trapped for how to proceed and what to state. We were being just flabbergasted."

A person in his eighties sits on a black sofa inside a front room. He is Keeping a brass-coloured trophy in The form of the National Lottery emblem
Ray Wragg and wife Barbara obtained a Specific trophy from lottery organisers for their philanthropy

Ray, who turns 87 on New 12 months's Working day, cracked open up a can of Guinness, when Barbara had a glass of wine.

The pair sang 'Who would like to be considered a millionaire' as they termed their 3 young children to tell them the news.

"50 % an hour or so afterwards we rang Camelot and we found out we might gained £7.6m that night time," Ray states.

The next connect with roofer Ray, from Sheffield, would make was to his boss, Dave, the following morning.

He was as a result of be again at Focus on a creating web page in south Wales at 08:00 GMT around the Monday, which would have necessary the then 62-12 months-aged to depart residence for your 4-hour push from the early several hours of the dark Wintertime early morning.

When Ray told him he had made a decision to retire, a amazed Dave responded by asking him tongue-in-cheek, "Have you ever gained the lottery?!"

"Properly, Sure I've," was Ray's trustworthy reply.

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

"I did not determine what to say but I would hardly ever have explained 'things your job' or everything like that. I am not that sort of individual."

Though the development field ultimately became "tiring" and associated him travelling up to one,000 miles every week to all 4 corners of the UK, Ray suggests he enjoyed work.

But the chance of retirement for him and for Barbara, who experienced worked night time shifts for the Royal Hallamshire Clinic for 22 years, was much too fantastic to skip.

The very first thing Ray did Along with the winnings was buy a £52,000 white Array Rover, whilst the few also went over a glamorous cruise.

Barbara's fear of traveling experienced Beforehand restricted them to domestic vacations.

"I feel we went to Torquay for approximately twenty years on the trot - all five of us," Ray states.

Like most lottery winners, Ray and Barbara took the opportunity to pass on some of their winnings to their youngsters together with other relations.

But it absolutely was their generosity to Others outdoors their relatives unit which might make headlines from the yrs that followed.

They reportedly gave absent most of their winnings - earning a rebuke from their monetary advisor.


PA A pair dressed in pink and white Sheffield United shirts maintain champagne flutes bearing the Countrywide Lottery emblem aloft. A soccer bearing the Sheffield United badge is in between their heads.PA
Barbara Wragg experienced worked as a nurse in Sheffield for decades
Barbara, who died of sepsis in 2018 within the age of 77, at the time publicly explained their winnings were being "far too much for two folks".

"We had persons say 'does one not want to keep it for yourselves?'" Ray says now.

"But we had been in our sixties (at the time) and we created a good deal of men and women content."

Tens of countless numbers was presented absent for the hospital where Barbara had labored, and on the neighborhood kid's clinic.

There was also £twelve,000 to permit Earth War Two veterans to return to Monte Cassino in Italy in 2004, 60 several years following Allied Forces gained an important victory there.

The couple ended up left touched by a several of the correspondence they got afterwards, which provided letters from widows of troopers who experienced died on the battlefield.


A person in his eighties sits with a black couch inside a lounge. He is holding a black espresso mug. A lampshade is within the background.
Ray says the lottery changed his and Barbara's life, but not them as folks
Yet another act of philanthropy stands out in Ray's thoughts.

"We picked up the Sheffield Star newspaper a single night, in addition to a younger lad of 11 or 12 had saved his dollars up to acquire a bike," he recollects.

"He'd gone in the park and these three lads experienced operate off with it and left him, the weak lad."

The Wraggs had a mountain bicycle they'd scarcely employed and so termed up the Star to produce หวย วัน นี้ connection with the boy's loved ones so they may give it to him.

"You can't purchase the expression on his encounter," Ray claims. "He was leaping up and down for Pleasure and riding up and down, as you'll if you have been a kid."

The few's charity do the job gained them a Unique trophy from Camelot in 2002, and also invitations to Buckingham Palace along with the Delight of Britain awards.

They rubbed shoulders with Richard Branson, Princess Diana's former butler as well as the Coronation Street cast, but Ainsley Harriott stands out in Ray's intellect as among the "nicest" celebs the pair fulfilled.


Sheffield United admirer Ray nonetheless goes swimming at his local leisure centre 3 early mornings per week and he continues to be a Bramall Lane standard in the weekends.

He insists he is in no way experienced any trouble from men and women because that vast gain 25 a long time in the past.

"All they have needed to do if they us in the street is rub our shoulder for a little luck and thank us for what we have finished for the youngsters.

"We have experienced a wonderful time and served a lot of people," he smiles.

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

"I had been Doing the job, Barbara was Doing the job, the children had been working," he suggests. "We have been all correct.

"Like other people do, we saved up.

"It transformed our life but not us as folks.

"That's stood us in fantastic stead. I nevertheless evaluate the price of a pair of socks you are aware of!"

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