A STUNNED engineer is one of 11 people from a Welsh village to win a £1 million lottery prize and now he’ll get his first passport and take his first-ever flight IN FIRST CLASS .
Grant Williams, 52, is dreaming of adventures abroad with wife Katrina after bagging £83,333 with People’s Postcode Lottery.
Born and bred in Nantymoel, Bridgend, Grant has never wandered too far from his beloved home, but now he’s set to see the world.
And the dad-of-two, who was born in the front room of his family house, thanked his late mum for ‘playing a part’ in his cash windfall.
Grant said: “This win means the world. I’ve never dreamt of winning this much money, it’s hard to process.
“I’ve never been abroad, I’ve never been on a plane. I’m going to have to sort that out now and first class is even an option now. It’s unbelievable. Life-changing.”
Grant landed the windfall with 10 neighbours in Nantymoel after CF32 7SU won the lottery’s weekly £1m Millionaire Street prize on Saturday 28 September.
Every ticket was worth £83,333 with one winner doubling theirs to £166,666, thanks to playing with two tickets.
The Nantymoel neighbour’s £1m win comes one year after players in the nearby village of Tonypandy won the same prize – when three people won £333,333 each on September 24, 2023.
Grant’s win held even more significance due to winning at his family house on John Street, which was left to him by his late mum.
He said: “I was born in this house, in the front bedroom, 52 years ago, and I’ve never moved out.
“My mum worked really hard for me and my two sisters. She’s definitely up there looking down.
“And we even got a letter yesterday to say our mortgage is closed.”
Grant’s wife Katrina, 50, who works in the NHS, couldn’t believe their luck after winning the lottery a day after paying off their 25-year mortgage.
She said: “I’d like to think she’s looking down on us today. For our mortgage to end yesterday, and Postcode Lottery to knock on our door today, it’s just incredible.”
“We won’t be changing our address anytime soon. It’s a lucky house.”
Excited Katrina said the winnings will encourage the pair to travel and have fun.
She said: “I thought [the win] would pay for Christmas without going into my savings but this is all my Christmases in one.”
She added: “My husband has to get a passport now. I’ve always wanted to see Italy, I love old buildings and I’ve got lots of romantic notions in my head.”
And a few doors down, close friend Michaela Jones, 55, also bagged the same whopping amount.
The mum-of-two says a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Australia for the British & Irish Lions Tour is now possible.
She said: “It’s felt like a dream. I was waiting for the rug to be pulled from underneath me, to be honest. Until I saw the camera crew, I didn’t believe it.
“We were planning on going to Australia next year for the rugby, that might be back on the cards.”
