We’ll stay in our three-bed semi in Kippax, says £1.5m Lotto great-grandmother
Helen Walker and her husband Stanley, both 78, are expecting their fifth great-grandchild later this month.
But they said they have no plans to move from their three-bed semi in Kippax, near Leeds.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdInstead, their priority is to bring in a gardener to turn their yard into a landscaped masterpiece.
They say they are planning a first-class trip to Florida and will share their good fortune with their two surviving children and their families.
Mrs Walker scooped £1,466,667 in the Lotto draw on Saturday.
She told a press conference in Garforth, Leeds, how she thought she was down on her luck on Saturday as none of the horses she backed in the Derby won, including the Queen’s horse, Carlton House.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSo she could not believe it when she checked her lottery numbers later that night.
She went to wake her husband but he initially refused to take her seriously.
She said she told him: “I hope you don’t mind me waking you up but we’ve got six numbers on the lottery.”
Mr Walker said: “I told her politely to go downstairs and turn the light off.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe couple have been married for 57 years and have lived in their current house for nearly 46. They met at Butlins in Filey, North Yorkshire.
Mrs Walker is originally from Bolton, Lancashire - where she worked as a weaver - but has lived in Kippax for more than half a century.
Mr Walker is Kippax born and bred and worked for more than 30 years as a railway guard.
He was also a stoker in the Royal Navy, seeing action in the Korean War and during the Suez crisis.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe Walkers had three children but one daughter died, aged 29.
Their surviving children - David, 54, and Patricia, 52 - were at the press conference to help celebrate the win along with many of the couple’s seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A new great-child is due in a fortnight.
The couple vowed to send them all to Disneyworld but said they did not want to go themselves.
Mrs Walker said only one of the grandchildren had put in a request so far - 13-year-old Ryan, who wants a new TV.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdShe listed a range of spending priorities for her house, including a front door, a new set of gates and a three-piece suite.
But, apart from a gardener, the couple said they had no desire for a sports car or any other luxury.
Mrs Walker said: “All that comes after the kids have been seen to - and the grandkids and the great-grandkids.”
As they sipped champagne, her husband joked: “She might up my pocket money to £2 this week.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMrs Walker explained how they went to Florida every year but this time she was upgrading to first class.
Her husband laughed when asked if they were going to continue playing the lottery.
He said: “You’ve got to be in it to win it and we like those people who come and tell you you’ve won.”
Mrs Walker won with the numbers 7, 21, 25, 32, 43 and 44 on a ticket bought at the Co-op in Kippax.