We won £185,000 in the lottery – we can now afford a brand new Ferrari… but that’s why we’ll keep taking the bus

A couple who won £185,000 in the lottery have vowed to keep taking the bus instead of buying a fancy sports car.

Mary and Geraint Brooks bagged the huge cash prize – but said they won’t be splashing out on a Ferrari.

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The South Wales couple have never obtained a driver’s license and say they are more than happy with their free bus tickets.

Mary, 63, and Geraint, 60, used £10,000 of the winnings to pay off their mortgage.

Mary, who quit her job as a cashier, said she sleeps better at night now.

She told The Sun: “I can sleep easy at night knowing I have no mortgage and no cash in the bank

“I worked nights for 20 years, so I was ready to give it up.”

Husband Geraint lost his job at a recycling plant two months after his wife’s victory.

He said: “I have decided to take early retirement now as well.

“It’s wonderful not to have any financial pressure.

“We hardly touched the profits.

“We have three children and five grandchildren and we want them to benefit.

“When you turn 60 in Wales you get a free bus ticket so we’ll just keep using it.”

The couple’s neighbor, Ted Owens, also won a huge prize.

After buying two postcode lottery tickets ‘on a whim’, Ted won £370,000.

The street – Pen y Dre in Rhymney, South Wales – cleaned up in last March’s monthly draw and earned more than £2million.

Retired steel worker Ted, 76, decided to buy two £10 tickets instead of just one.

He said: “I guess I’m the happiest man in the happiest city in the world.

“I usually buy one ticket but for some reason I bought two this month and it definitely paid off.”

“HAPPIEST CITY IN THE WORLD”

He used some of his winnings to take his family of three, their partners and granddaughter on a nine-day £15,000 cruise around the Caribbean and South America.

He also wanted to invest in a brand new £56,000 Jaguar car but dealers refused to let him the only one in stock as it was on showroom display.

He added: “They said I would have to wait for another one to be delivered to replace it, so I persevered and persevered and then they told me it wouldn’t arrive in 12 months.

“So I bought a £20,000 Hyundai with 2,000 miles on the clock instead.”

However, he was keen to spend his winnings on his late wife, Coral, who died of cancer eight years ago.

He said: “I would have spoiled them.

“I don’t suppose the money would have saved her life, but we would have had some fun with it and, well, who knows?”

With no plans to leave his semi-detached home, Ted said the wins won’t change him.

“I’ve never been an impulsive person and I’m not going to start now,” he said.

“I will use the remaining money to help my family financially whenever I can.

“Oh, and I might get a new sofa. I might get a new TV too, but it still works, so what’s the point?”

Remember to gamble responsibly.

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Set time and money limits before playing
• Only gamble with money you can afford to lose
• Never chase after your losses
• Don’t play when they’re upset, angry, or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
• If you need help with a gambling problem call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or visit www.gamstop.co.uk to get banned from all UK regulated gambling websites.

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