Ne news: builder wins £1m on lotto and plans to put 'family first'

A builder and his wife are putting family first with their life-altering plans after scooping a £1M Lotto windfall. Terry Gillings, 61, and wife Caroline, 54, were delighted to have scooped

the life-changing cash which they are going to use to secure their four daughters' futures. The family's win, however, also came with heartbreak after the death of Terry's

father within a 48-hour period. Terry said: "We've always worked hard and helped our kids where we can but this is a whole other level – surely it's every parent's dream.

We decided pretty much straightaway that we wanted the girls to benefit from our luck. I'll never forget phoning our daughters to tell them that their mortgages were being paid off, it

generated quite a bit of screaming and joy." Despite the bittersweet circumstances, Terry, who looked after his 85-year-old dad through prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease,

was able to share the joyful news before his father's passing. Recalling the moment, he said: "I told dad we'd won a million and, true to character, his first words 'P***

Off, don't lie to us'", reports Chronicle Live. "I like to think knowing Caroline and I, and the girls, were all well set-up for the future meant he slipped away more

peacefully. My dad always said celebrate the wins, that's exactly what we intend to do and I've enjoyed telling everyone I've bumped into since that we've won!"

Despite the win at the weekend, come Monday Terry, from Stanley, County Durham, was back to manual labour, constructing an extension. Terry recounts: "I've been a builder since I

left school, I can't really imagine stopping now. I built our dream home seven years ago so I may take a break from building for clients for a bit and instead get to work with a mate

building a couple of houses on a plot we invested in years ago but didn't have the cash at the time to get on with the build. Just like that, we have." They are also planning a

charitable act by making a contribution to Breast Cancer Awareness, which has deeply affected their family. Terry shares: "We lost my mum to breast cancer, my sister has had treatment,

our daughter has recently undergone a double mastectomy and I have been advised that I carry the gene. We've had our share of bad luck and hopefully by donating some of our win we can

help other families to be luckier when it comes to this horrible disease." Terry has religiously played Lotto each week since its inception. His winning Lotto numbers on Wednesday 26th

March, 2025 were: 14, 17, 18, 22, 34 and 58. GO HERE FOR THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS FROM TEESSIDE JOIN TEESSIDE LIVE'S WHATSAPP COMMUNITY FOR TOP STORIES AND BREAKING NEWS SENT DIRECTLY

TO YOUR PHONE Teesside Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community. Through the app, we'll send you the latest breaking news, top stories, exclusives and much more

straight to your phone. To join our community group, you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is CLICK THIS LINK AND SELECT 'JOIN COMMUNITY'. No one will be able to

see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Teesside Live team. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If

you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'Exit group'. If you’re curious,

you can read our Privacy Notice. CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP COMMUNITY.