Dream Wedding and Home for £1m Scratchcard Winners

Renovating our homes is a popular way of spending a big win. That’s just what Natalie and Andrew Cunliffe from Blackpool in Northwest England did after they won a £1 million scratchcard prize in 2016.

I’ve won a million pounds!

Their winning scratchcard was purchased by Andrew at an Asda supermarket. He’d only gone there to buy some tea but got a scratchcard too. He scratched it off when back at work and was soon shouting “I’ve won a million pounds” plus a few swearwords.

When contacting his partner and asking her to come home, she thought he’d lost his job. He had to explain to her just how much they had won. When they calmed down, Natalie realised that their winnings had to be used sensibly.

First though, Andrew proposed  at the top of the famous Blackpool Tower (where they had met five years ago) and they had a dream wedding in Cyprus.

A terrible state

“It’s a million pounds but you have to make that work as a family and also in the future. You could easily blow it.’ She’d seen a derelict 1930s house nearby and saw that it was for sale, so arranged a viewing. Squatters had left it in “a terrible state” and it wasn’t that safe.

The £1m scratchcard winning couple “fell in love with the house” and “could see the potential” so they bought it. Their aim was to “bring it all back to life,” and 13 months later the task had been achieved. Seeing that Andrew was a builder, he did most of the renovation work himself.

A new staircase has been fitted and the guest bedroom extended. There are four bedrooms and a huge living space with a kitchen and diner and a family room. It still has its period charm though.

“I wanted to put character back into the house,” said Natalie. It was the most “amazing feeling” when they finally moved in last year. No wonder Natalie says: “For us, it’s everything we have always wanted.”

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