Profitable a daily life-shifting amount of cash is really a aspiration harboured by quite a few, but what's existence like when that really occurs?

"Ray, we've got a few figures!"

Sat in your house over a Saturday night, nurse Barbara Wragg experienced switched about the Television to get the Nationwide Lottery results.

Offering a operating commentary to her partner Ray, Individuals a few matching figures to the pair's ticket immediately grew to become "four", then "5" then astoundingly, the magic "6".

In 50 % an hour, the pair learnt they had gained the £seven.6m jackpot and everyday living experienced changed eternally.


Recalling that second Just about 1 / 4 of the century on, Ray remembers: "I said "you are kidding me?!"

"We have been caught for what to do and what to mention. We had been just flabbergasted."

A man in his eighties sits with a black couch in the front room. He is Keeping a brass-coloured trophy in the shape from the Countrywide Lottery brand
Ray Wragg and wife Barbara been given a Distinctive trophy from lottery organisers for their philanthropy

Ray, who turns 87 on New Calendar year'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 referred to as their three little ones to inform them the information.

"Fifty percent one hour later we rang Camelot and we discovered we might won £seven.6m that night time," Ray suggests.

The subsequent get in touch with roofer Ray, from Sheffield, would make was to his boss, Dave, the following morning.

He was because of be back again at work on a setting up website in south Wales at 08:00 GMT to the Monday, which might have needed the then 62-yr-outdated to depart residence for a four-hour drive within the early several hours of the dim Wintertime morning.

When Ray instructed him he experienced made a decision to retire, a amazed Dave responded by inquiring him tongue-in-cheek, "have you won the lottery?!"

"Effectively, Indeed I have," was Ray's straightforward reply.

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

"I didn't understand what to say but I might hardly ever have explained 'stuff your position' or anything like that. I'm not that kind of man or woman."

Despite the fact that the construction marketplace sooner or later became "tiring" and included him travelling as much as 1,000 miles each week to all four corners of the UK, Ray says he savored work.

But the chance of retirement for him and for Barbara, who had worked night time shifts in the Royal Hallamshire Medical center for 22 years, was also superior to miss.

The very first thing Ray did With all the winnings was buy a £fifty two,000 white Array Rover, when the couple also went on the glamorous cruise.

Barbara's panic of flying had previously restricted them to domestic vacations.

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

Like most lottery winners, Ray and Barbara took the opportunity to move on some in their winnings for their youngsters as well as other relations.

But it absolutely was their generosity to Other individuals outside the house their family members device which might make headlines inside the several years 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 National Lottery brand aloft. A football bearing the Sheffield United badge is in between their heads.PA
Barbara Wragg experienced worked for a nurse in Sheffield for many years
Barbara, who died of sepsis in 2018 with the age of seventy seven, when publicly reported their winnings have been "too much for two men and women".

"We had men and women say 'would you not want to help keep it for yourselves?'" Ray states now.

"But we had been in our sixties (at the time) and we produced a lot of folks delighted."

Tens of 1000's was offered absent on the clinic where Barbara had labored, and also towards the area children's medical center.

There was also £twelve,000 to allow Entire world War Two veterans to return to Monte Cassino in Italy in 2004, sixty many years immediately after Allied Forces received a crucial victory there.

The couple have been remaining touched by a a few of the correspondence they received afterwards, which provided letters from widows of troopers who had died about the battlefield.


A person in his eighties sits on the black sofa inside a lounge. He is Keeping a black coffee mug. A lampshade is inside the track record.
Ray says the lottery changed his and Barbara's life, but not them as people
A further act of philanthropy stands out in Ray's head.

"We picked up the Sheffield Star newspaper a single night time, and also a younger lad of eleven or 12 experienced saved his revenue up to order a bike," he recollects.

"He'd absent in to the park and these a few lads had run off with it and left him, the weak lad."

The Wraggs had a mountain bicycle they'd barely used and so termed up the Star for making ruay connection with the boy's relatives so they could give it to him.

"You cannot purchase the expression on his experience," Ray suggests. "He was jumping up and down for Pleasure and Driving up and down, as you would probably in case you were a kid."

The few's charity do the job earned them a Specific trophy from Camelot in 2002, as well as Invites to Buckingham Palace and also the Satisfaction of Britain awards.

They rubbed shoulders with Richard Branson, Princess Diana's former butler and also the Coronation Avenue Solid, but Ainsley Harriott stands out in Ray's head as on the list of "nicest" stars the few met.


Sheffield United fan Ray still goes swimming at his area leisure centre 3 early mornings per week and he remains a Bramall Lane normal within the weekends.

He insists he's never experienced any bother from persons given that that massive win 25 years ago.

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

"We've had a fantastic time and helped a lot of people," he smiles.

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

"I used to be Doing work, Barbara was Doing work, the kids ended up Functioning," he says. "We ended up all correct.

"Like other people do, we saved up.

"It transformed our life but not us as people.

"That's stood us in very good stead. I still have a look at the cost of a set of socks you recognize!"

Pay attention to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Appears, meet up with the latest episode of Search North or notify us a Tale you think that we need to be masking here.