Lotto millionaire Di Foster has snapped up three homes within a quarter of a mile of each other so she can run a granny daycare.
Di, 63, bagged a £1m fortune last year and set about buying homes for herself and daughters, Kelly, 28, and Jodie, 24.
And she says it’s a “dream come true” after splashing out on sandpits and paddling pools for her grandsons to enjoy during the summer holidays.
The gran-of-four said: “Buying both my girls a house – and one for me, too – became the priority.
“It’s taken a while because we wanted to live close to each other, so I can see them and my grandkids as much as possible, but finally we each have our own homes and we’re all within a five-minute walk of one another.
“Some people might think a summer holiday with four grandsons running in and out of your home is a recipe for chaos, but for me, it’s a dream come true.
“I’ve set up the paddling pool and sandpit on my new lawn, and we’ve been exploring in the woods.”
Di, from Reading, Berks, scooped £1,049,669 on the Lotto’s “Must Be Won” draw on April 24, 2021.
Di was one of three winners who shared the Lotto jackpot that night after the numbers 16, 24, 29, 30, 32 and 38 were drawn. She said: “Before that life-changing moment we were spread across Reading and I’d need to catch a bus to see my girls and their boys, and with my poorly knees that wasn’t fun.
“I had a one-bedroom flat with no outside space and certainly nowhere for a sandpit.”
Jodie said: “Mum has always been there for us, but using her win to buy us each a home shows she really is one in a million.
“Kelly and I feel like the real winners as we now own our homes, and that’s something none of us believed could happen just over a year ago.
“And the icing on the cake? Plenty of summer holiday fun with nanny has meant a little peace and quiet for us.”
Di recalled how she “burst into tears of joy” when her win was confirmed over the phone. She added: “I pinch myself when I look at how life has changed.”