A supermarket worker and her forklift truck driver partner are finally planning their wedding after winning £1 million on the lottery – following a 15-year engagement.
Ellie Land, 41, and Karl Ward, 43, from Norwich, Norfolk, have been together for 20 years, engaged for 15, and have two children, a 12-year old son and a daughter aged six.
They scooped £1 million on the EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker after Miss Land bought a winning ticket at the Asda store where she works in Drayton High Road, Norwich.
Mr Ward said: “We’ve been putting off getting married purely for the funds and to spend it on children and life.
“But now we’ve got the money we’re happy to get married at long last.”
Miss Land said: “We had popped into Asda on the way home from visiting friends to grab some bread and milk.
“Karl waited for me while I went to use the bathroom, and when I came out he was by the National Lottery counter so I decided to get a EuroMillions ticket for the draw that night.
“I don’t always play, just on a whim, so when my colleague wished me luck, I laughed and said ‘if I win something I’ll treat you’.
“Little did I think then that we’d win £1 million, I’ll certainly be going back with a little something for her.
“Thinking back on that day I keep laughing, I spent a penny and won a million.”
The couple discovered the win on a Sunday after returning from a wine-tasting event in Norwich.
With the children in front of the TV and her mother making a cup of tea, Miss Land checked her ticket using the National Lottery app and received a message congratulating her for a £1 million win and showed it to Mr Ward.
Miss Land said that when her mother walked in and asked if they were OK, having seen their shocked faces, she responded: “I’ve just won £1 million.”
Mr Ward said: “It was a crazy moment, we just laughed and then sat in stunned silence.
“We realised the claim line was closed, so agreed Ellie would call first thing in the morning and then enjoyed a sleepless night, repeatedly saying to one another ‘is this real?’.
“In the morning Ellie was worried about being late for work, I bet the lady at Camelot who took the call couldn’t believe how quickly she rattled through the details so she could get into work by 9.30am.”
Alongside their wedding, they are also looking for a new house locally, ideally a bungalow, that they can call their own, after two decades of renting.
Miss Land said: “The wedding and a forever home are top of our list but the children also have a few requests.
“Our son is looking forward to receiving a PS5, just as soon as we can find one, while our daughter loves Disney so I think we will enjoy our first holiday abroad with a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland.”
And they have no plans to stop working.
“I enjoy my job, I’ve been there for as long as I have known Karl, so I won’t be giving it up, although I will say keeping this a secret has been pretty challenging,” said Miss Land.
“Many people have asked if Karl would leap at the chance to stop working – he’s been on night shift for six years – but he feels the same.
“But thinking about it, perhaps we will take some time off here and there to go to France, or even further afield, for a little wine-tasting in the vineyards as opposed to St Andrew’s Hall in Norwich.”
Miss Land bought her winning EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker ticket for the draw on November 4, 2022, and the winning code was MXSW 73290.
