A couple who always believed that they would win the lottery and had kept a bottle of pink champagne for over 20 years can finally celebrate after their dream came true.
Brian Courtney, 65, and his wife Julie, 62, from Weston-Super-Mare, scooped the £500,000 Thunderball top prize from the draw on 30 January.
The couple said they were tickled pink when they realised that they could finally open the bottle of bubbly they’ve held onto for over 20 years.
Brian explained: “We used to take part in a French exchange and in the early nineties we had a family to stay who brought us a very nice bottle of pink champagne to say thank you.
"When they gave it to us we said then and there that we’d keep it and drink when we won the lottery.
"I think they thought we were mad but I was sure that we’d be cracking it open one day to celebrate a big win!”
The couple’s win couldn’t have come at a better time after Julie was made redundant from her hotel job last year.
Julie, who had worked in the same Weston-Super-Mare hotel since she was 15, had been worrying about finding a new job at such a difficult time. But this life-changing win means that rather than look for a new job, Julie can begin her retirement early.
Brian has now also retired from his job as a mechanical fitter at a factory in Clevedon after handing in his notice shortly after his win.
He was due to retire this summer but took it early so that they could begin to enjoy some time together.
Brian said: “Julie and I have worked all our lives and I think we’re both ready for retirement. However, to be able to retire knowing we don’t have to worry about money, is just the icing on the cake.
“We plan to use the money to make sure our daughters and grandchildren are well taken care of and once that’s done, we might see about booking ourselves onto a cruise.
He added: “We’ve been lucky enough to do a few cruises in the past but Julie has always fancied the ones that travel around Asia. We’ve never been able to take that length of time off work before, but now we can and we’re really looking forward to getting something booked as soon as restrictions allow.”
It is also the couple’s 45th wedding anniversary this year and they hope to celebrate with a return to Weymouth where they enjoyed their honeymoon.
The couple have been playing the lottery since it started and have used the same numbers since the beginning - a mixture of birthdays, anniversaries and house numbers.
