A couple from Arnold plan to get married in Las Vegas after winning £90,000 in the Postcode Lottery. Denise Bell, 71, and Alan Shaw, 74, are part of a group of eight neighbours from Newton Close who won a combined total of £270,000 when their NG5 6RT postcode was selected.
Each winner received a prize of £30,000, but Denise also had two tickets, meaning she won a total of £60,000. Both were left in disbelief when lottery ambassador Jeff Brazier surprised them with the cheques.
The pair met about 32 years ago and have been engaged for 29 years after Alan proposed in Asda while Denise worked as a cashier on the checkouts. They both admitted that life had got in the way and they had delayed getting married several times, but always dreamt of being wed in Las Vegas.
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Denise said: "I can't believe it… I’m lost for words. It's more money than we've ever had.
"We'll get married finally. We've always thought it would be amazing to be able to get married in Las Vegas. So, we can do that now."
The mum-of-two now works with disabled children and children with learning difficulties, and said before any weddings or holidays, the first thing she'd use the winnings for is a hip replacement. Denise said: "I can get a new hip! I've been on a waiting list for over two years, but I can now go private which will be great because I've been in a lot of pain recently.
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"I was talking to my daughter when I was very sore last weekend and I said to her 'I'd love to win the lottery and I could get my hip done' and then only a few days later the Postcode Lottery are at my front door."
Chris Adams, 47, was another winner picking up a cheque for £30,000. He found out about his prize alongside his wife Emma and the pair were left gobsmacked after catching a glimpse of their winning cheque. Chris said: "Oh my goodness! That's a bit more than a tenner that."
Emma added: "It's incredible! We really weren't expecting that."
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The dad-of-two said he'd be taking his family on a long-awaited holiday abroad using some of the winnings. Emma, who works as a teacher at a local primary school, laughed in disbelief and said: "The kids have yet to go on an aeroplane. We've been promising them for a long time and it can finally happen."
The couple are in the early process of improving their garden and said the cash windfall would help them to totally transform their back garden. Chris added: "We're going to have a much-improved man cave and a much-improved patio. We'll also probably have grass instead of a meadow or a jungle as it is now."
Arnold local and Nottingham Forest fan Paul Hovell, 57, said he didn't think this year could get much better after his beloved Nottingham Forest were promoted to the Premier League until he won the lottery. The dad-of-two bagged £30,000 and said: "That's a lot of money to us.
"We need a holiday after the last few years, this will really give us a great holiday. It feels fantastic to know that our close friends and neighbours have won something. It's something quite special."
Susan Harrison, 61, also scooped £30,000 and said the win could make her upcoming holiday to Italy extra special. Susan said: "We're going to Italy next week and we've planned to go to Venice for the day and now I'll be able to go on a gondola which is something I’ve always wanted to do."
The mum-of-two worked at a bank for over 43 years before retiring last year. She said: "This money will mean I can enjoy my retirement even more and we can splash out a bit and I can also treat my daughters."
Another £30,000 winner is Colin Barrett, 59, who was joined by his wife Mandy for the surprise. Shortly after finding out about his cash windfall, Colin said: "We are a family on the street and, it's just nice to see other people having a bit of luck in life."
The pair recently retired and said the cash will go towards making their retirement even sweeter. Colin said: "What was going to be a nice retirement just got a lot nicer and we’ll be more comfortable. It's the icing on the cake."
