Lottery Winners Ray and Barbara Wragg Reflect on Life After £7.6m Jackpot

Many people dream of winning a life-altering sum of money, but few experience it. On a Saturday evening, nurse Barbara Wragg was at home, watching the National Lottery results on TV. She was providing a running commentary to her husband, Ray, as the three matching numbers on their ticket progressively turned into “four,” then “five,” and then, remarkably, the “six” winning numbers. In less than 30 minutes, the couple discovered they had secured the £7.6m jackpot, a moment that irrevocably altered their lives. Nearly 25 years later, Ray, who will be 87 on New Year’s Day, recalls that initial reaction: “I said “you’re kidding me?!”” He added, “We were stuck for what to do and what to say. We were just flabbergasted.” To celebrate, Ray opened a can of Guinness, and Barbara poured herself a glass of wine. The couple sang ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ before contacting their three children to share the news. Ray stated, “Half an hour later we rang Camelot and we found out we’d won £7.6m that night.” The subsequent morning, Ray, a roofer from Sheffield, placed a call to his employer, Dave. Ray, then 62, had been scheduled to report to a building site in south Wales at 08:00 GMT on Monday, a journey that would have necessitated a four-hour drive from home in the predawn darkness of a winter day. Upon hearing Ray’s decision to retire, a surprised Dave jokingly inquired, “have you won the lottery?!” Ray’s straightforward response was, “Well, yes I have.” Reflecting on that January 2000 weekend, Ray commented, “I retired that Saturday night in some respects.” He added, “I didn’t know what to say but I’d never have said ‘stuff your job’ or anything like that. I’m not that kind of person.” Despite finding the construction industry “tiring” and requiring him to travel up to 1,000 miles weekly across the UK, Ray stated he had enjoyed his work. However, the opportunity for retirement for both him and Barbara, who had completed 22 years of night shifts at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, was irresistible. Ray’s initial purchase with the winnings was a £52,000 white Range Rover, and the couple also embarked on a luxurious cruise. Previously, Barbara’s fear of flying had limited their vacations to domestic destinations. Ray noted, “I think we went to Torquay for about 20 years on the trot – all five of us.” Similar to many lottery winners, Ray and Barbara chose to share a portion of their prize money with their children and other family members. Yet, it was their extensive generosity towards individuals beyond their immediate family that garnered significant attention in subsequent years. Reports indicate they donated the majority of their winnings, which led to criticism from their financial advisor. Barbara, who passed away from sepsis in 2018 at 77, had publicly stated that their winnings were “too much for two people.” Ray now recounts, “We had people say ‘do you not want to keep it for yourselves?'” He added, “But we were in our sixties (at the time) and we made a lot of people happy.” Significant sums, amounting to tens of thousands, were donated to the hospital where Barbara had been employed, alongside contributions to the local children’s hospital. Additionally, £12,000 was provided in 2004 to enable World War Two veterans to revisit Monte Cassino in Italy, marking 60 years since Allied Forces achieved a vital victory at that location. The couple expressed being moved by some of the subsequent correspondence they received, including letters from widows of soldiers who had perished in battle. Another philanthropic act remains prominent in Ray’s memory. He recounted, “We picked up the Sheffield Star newspaper one night, and a young lad of 11 or 12 had saved his money up to buy a bike.” Ray continued, “He’d gone into the park and these three lads had run off with it and left him, the poor lad.” The Wraggs, possessing a mountain bike they had seldom used, contacted the Star newspaper to connect with the boy’s family and offer him the bike. Ray described the boy’s reaction, stating, “You can’t buy the expression on his face.” He added, “He was jumping up and down for joy and riding up and down, as you would if you were a kid.” In recognition of their charitable endeavors, the couple received a special trophy from Camelot in 2002, along with invitations to Buckingham Palace and the Pride of Britain awards. They encountered figures such as Richard Branson, Princess Diana’s former butler, and members of the Coronation Street cast. However, Ray particularly remembers Ainsley Harriott as one of the “nicest” celebrities they met. Ray, a Sheffield United supporter, continues to swim at his local leisure centre three mornings a week and regularly attends matches at Bramall Lane on weekends. He asserts that he has not experienced any issues from people since his substantial win 25 years ago. He explained, “All they’ve wanted to do if they us in the street is rub our shoulder for a bit of luck and thank us for what we’ve done for the kids.” Smiling, he concluded, “We’ve had a fantastic time and helped a lot of people.” Ray stated that he and Barbara remained grounded and would have been content even without the lottery win. He remarked, “I was working, Barbara was working, the kids were working,” adding, “We were all right.” He continued, “Like other families do, we saved up.” He concluded, “It changed our lives but not us as persons. “That’s stood us in good stead. I still look at the price of a pair of socks you know!””