Accidental Lottery Win Leads to Custom Dream Home for South Derbyshire Couple

Don and Ann Webster’s lives were transformed by an unexpected incident while they were completing their National Lottery numbers. In a supermarket, a stranger’s bump into Mrs Webster caused her to nudge her husband, leading him to inadvertently select a different number. The couple, residents of South Derbyshire, decided against restarting and kept the numbers, subsequently winning over £1 million in 2006. Despite their win, it took 15 years for the Websters to move into their desired home, which was specifically designed for Mrs Webster, 69, a wheelchair user. Mrs Webster had consistently sought a residence tailored to her requirements, but locating a suitable plot proved lengthy, with construction commencing in 2019. In previous residences, she had navigated restricted doorways and ramps leading to entrances. However, their new four-bedroom riverside property, co-designed by her and Mr Webster, features a level layout throughout, making it suitable for wheelchair users. Mrs Webster expressed her resolve that the property should not appear to be a disabled person’s home. “I wanted it to look like a nice house for me that is liveable for me,” she stated. The kitchen incorporates intelligent features to enhance user-friendliness, such as worktops lowered by a few centimetres. She further noted: “We cut off part of the plinths at the bottom. It’s shorter than normal, but you don’t notice.” The couple secured £1,023,801 in the draw held on Saturday, 6 May, 2006. This significant win, however, was attributed to the supermarket nudge that resulted in all six numbers matching. Mrs Webster recounted: “Don had always played the same numbers, but on this occasion a man bumped into me as we were filling in our forms in the supermarket. I nudged into Don, and he accidentally chose the number 34 rather than his usual 43. Had he chosen 43, we would have won just £829!” The Websters have allocated a portion of their winnings to fund holidays. Mrs Webster commented: “Now we can afford to stay in five-star hotels, and we can pay for first and business class flights, which makes things a lot easier for me.” The couple has now settled into the home they once believed unattainable. Mrs Webster remarked: “We’ve always had to adapt previous houses we’d lived in, but it’s never the same as starting from scratch. I was determined I didn’t want ramps to any door because you can’t carry a cup of coffee and go down a ramp at the same time.” The National Lottery has created over 7,000 millionaires since its inception 30 years ago.