Jean Davies, 82, from Billinge, Merseyside, signed up to the Postcode Lottery in October 2018 and just two months later she won the Christmas draw – but she never got to spend a penny
A loving couple who hoped to transform their lives with a £60,000 postcode lottery win tragically died within months of each other without spending a single penny. Jean Davies, 82, from Billinge, Merseyside, joined the Postcode Lottery in October 2018, hoping for a modest windfall.
Her grandson Paul assisted her in signing up online but accidentally hit the register button twice, resulting in a monthly payment of £20 instead of £10. Despite Paul offering to rectify the mistake, Jean told him not to fret.
While Jean knew her neighbours also played the Postcode Lottery, she wasn’t aware of any winners among them. However, she was left gobsmacked when, two months after signing up, she received an email announcing her as the Christmas draw winner.
Both Jean and her husband Brian, also 82, were overjoyed. Their daughter Gillian, 58 at the time, told MailOnline: “Mum and Dad had never won anything before so it was a big surprise for them. They had no idea how much they’d won but they were thrilled nonetheless.”
A few days later, a knock on the door revealed a member of the lottery team, who informed Jean that she had scooped £60,000 – double the amount she would have won had she only registered once, reports the Mirror.
It also emerged that several of the couple’s neighbours had also bagged hefty sums.
Gillian shared: “Mum and Dad lived in an adapted bungalow due to Dad having lots of health issues. When Mum won the money, she planned to get more adaptions in the bungalow such as wooden flooring, a new kitchen and a new bathroom suite. She was excited about sprucing up the house.”
However, Jean’s plans were thwarted. Shortly after the win, Brian had a fall and began to suffer cognitive decline.
Their youngest child, also named Brian, was diagnosed with throat cancer at 52. With both Brians facing health struggles, the couple’s dreams were put on hold.
In 2020, Jean was rushed to hospital with pneumonia. Early in 2020, Gillian’s half-sister Susan spent time with Jean and Brian, helping organise their wills and applying for power of attorney over their finances.
Later that year, Gillian claimed that both she and Brian Jr had been written out of their parents’ wills. Brian Jr passed away in August 2020.
In November, the couple were separated with Brian being moved to Madison Court Care Home in St Helens. Jean was unable to visit her husband of 65 years due to Covid restrictions, leaving her heartbroken.
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The couple tried to get Brian home as Jean was worried about him.
Gillian raised alarms about her father potentially suffering neglect and abuse in his care home, MailOnline reports. Her mother Jean was so upset she even took to Granada TV under the veil of anonymity back in April 2022 to expose the alleged mistreatment.
The strain was too much for Jean, who began eating less and tragically passed away on June 5, 2022, with Brian following a few months later on November 1, 2022. After shelling out £23,000 in legal costs, Gillian is taking action against the care facility, telling MailOnline: “What happened to my dad in that care home is a whole separate story – one I’m still trying to piece together. All I can say now is that no human being should have suffered the way my dad did.”
Gillian reckons the Postcode Lottery win her parents nabbed should have marked a turning point for the better, but lamented: “But it didn’t. Everything went downhill from that day. What should have been a joyous time of their lives most definitely wasn’t.”