A shocked couple beat 24-trillion-to-one odds and won £1m in the National Lottery for the second time.
Richard Davies, 49, and Faye Stevenson-Davies, 43, first celebrated a £1m win in June 2018.
But the courier driver and mental health practitioner from Brecon, Mid-Wales, matched five main numbers and the Bonus Ball in the Lotto draw on 26 November, banking another £1m.
Ms Stevenson-Davies said: “We always believed winning was possible, and once we scooped £1m and met hundreds of other lucky winners, we realised fairytales do come true and there are winners everywhere! We knew the odds of it happening again were outrageous, but we’re proof that if you believe, anything is possible.”
Experts at Allwyn, operator of the National Lottery, explained the odds of the couple winning both the EuroMillions Millionaire Maker and then five numbers and the bonus ball on Lotto are over 24-trillion-to-one.
However, Mr Davies explained their win was not as simple as buying the winning tickets – their luck came through a series of four consecutive draws.
“When you match two numbers in the Lotto draw, you automatically win a Lucky Dip for the next game and that’s what’s happened to us. We matched two numbers and won a free Lucky Dip from the draw on the 15th, which put us into the next draw and so on, until the winning draw on Wednesday 26 November,” he said.
Before their first big win, Mr Davies worked as a hairdresser and Faye worked as a mental health nurse. He put down his scissors before agreeing to help a friend out with a couple of days a week of courier work.
While the couple could easily swap Mid-Wales for the Maldives this Christmas, the community-minded pair have other plans. Mr Davies will continue to work seven days a week so that everyone gets their Christmas deliveries, while Faye is offering mental health support to her clients across the festive period, including Christmas Day.
Ms Stevenson-Davies said: “That first win meant I gave up work as a mental health nurse and could return to university, gaining a second degree in counselling and therapeutic practice.
“I now have my own practice and also provide counselling services with local organisations including Brecon and District Mind charity and the DPJ Foundation. I feel blessed every day to be doing something so meaningful thanks to that first bit of luck, and I’m not going to abandon my clients with the second bit.”
The couple have seen first-hand the impact National Lottery funding has on volunteering projects, from Mr Davies volunteering at a homeless shelter in Cardiff to cut hair, and cooking food for their community kitchen in Carmarthen.
After their first win, the couple gifted people cars, donated a minibus to the local rugby team and helped out friends and family. But this time, they do not have a plan.
“Everyone keeps asking what we’ll do in the future and we genuinely have no idea at present,” Mr Davies said. “We’ll take our time and enjoy the moment.”
