Man wins £666k thanks to ‘best mistake he’s ever made’

Allan Taylor accidentally bought two lottery tickets worth £333k each

A Derbyshire man has won £666,666 thanks to the “best mistake” he has ever made.

Allan Taylor, 65, from Tupton near Chesterfield, accidentally bought two tickets for the Postcode Lottery and was presented with two cheques for £333,333 each, the biggest prize for a single player so far this year.

Allan said: “This was the best mistake I’ve ever made.”

His wife Bev, 62, said: “I remember asking Allan why he had two tickets, and he said, ‘oh I don’t know’.”

He added: “I must have ticked it twice.”

Allan shared a £1million pot with one other neighbour in Tupton after S42 6AE won the lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street prize on Saturday, May 30.

Every ticket was worth £333,333, with Allan doubling his prize.

It landed after he had been shouting at the TV when a Postcode Lottery advert came on shortly before he got a call to say he’d won.

Allan said: “It was the night before and I was saying, ‘I think they’ve forgotten our front door’ after seeing the TV advert. Then, a few hours later we got the call.”

The win comes only weeks after the couple retired early following careful planning.

Bev, who was a mental health nurse in an elderly dementia rapid response team, said: “I can’t believe it. We’ve literally just both retired in March. We’ve worked all our lives.

“I loved my job, but it was very stressful. I did wonder if I should have finished so early or stayed on until my state pension. We worked it out that it would be ok.

“My son kept saying, ‘it’s going to be big mum’. But I said, ‘no it’s not’. Now he’s signed up.”

Allan said: “I thought, let’s retire to make the most of our lives. I’m 66 this year and retired a bit earlier than my state pension age.

“Now I’m not going to worry at all. This is proper unbelievable.

“You never really expect to win. I’m absolutely speechless, to be honest.

“We were expecting a reasonable amount, maybe £10,000 to £20,000. But we were never in a million years expecting this.

“When I opened the second cheque…my legs wouldn’t work and I struggled. But it’s a nice feeling.

“It’s going to enable us to help other people which is what we’ve always wanted to do. We’ll help a lot of family and friends.”

The couple now wants to go to Australia since they will be able to afford business-class flights.

But first, there will be a double family celebration next month when Bev’s son John gets married, also marking their 24th wedding anniversary.

Bev said: “My son is getting married in three weeks – this might mean a bit of an extra wedding present.”

The couple also plan to buy a new car, but wants to continue living in their bungalow in the countryside.

Allan said: “We’re happy with life here and don’t want to move. The community is wonderful. We have lovely neighbours and it’s so nice, quiet and safe.

“This is where we wanted to retire to. We love it. I feel we couldn’t be anywhere better than where we are now. Even if I won millions I wouldn’t move.

“Everyone has genuinely been happy for us. It’s humbling.”