‘We hope this will change their life’ - Owners of Selsey newsagents after selling winning £105m EuroMillions ticket

“We hope this win will make their life really good, it is definitely life changing.”
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Those were the words of a Selsey shop owner, who sold the winning 105m EuroMillions jackpot ticket.

Last week, self-employed builder Steve Thomson, 42, and his wife Lenka, a 41-year-old shopworker, were revealed as the winners of the £105,100,701.90 jackpot, on what was the 25th birthday of The National Lottery’s first ever draw – becoming the ninth biggest winners ever in the country.

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Steve regularly takes part in the lottery and, as always, had bought his ticket from the local Pretty’s Newsagents in Orchard Parade.

ks190658-2Selsey Lottery Newsagent  phot kate
Kandarp and Priti Patel from Pretty's Newsagents which issued the winning ticket.ks190658-2 SUS-190312-220931008ks190658-2Selsey Lottery Newsagent  phot kate
Kandarp and Priti Patel from Pretty's Newsagents which issued the winning ticket.ks190658-2 SUS-190312-220931008
ks190658-2Selsey Lottery Newsagent phot kate Kandarp and Priti Patel from Pretty's Newsagents which issued the winning ticket.ks190658-2 SUS-190312-220931008

Joint-owner Priti Patel said she was ‘very excited’ after finding out the winning numbers had been sold from her till.

She said: “It was a big shock. We have run the shop since 2005 and this was the second winning ticket from my till. We hope this win will make their life really good, It is definitely life changing. They are very lucky.”

Priti said Steve ‘always comes to my shop for the lottery’.

She added: “I see him at least every other day driving his yellow van. It is a very small, tight knit community, so everyone knows everyone. Hopefully it will be us next time.”

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Winners, Steve and Lenka Thomson.ks190645-13 SUS-191126-212948008ks190645-13 Lottery Winners  phot kate
Winners, Steve and Lenka Thomson.ks190645-13 SUS-191126-212948008
ks190645-13 Lottery Winners phot kate Winners, Steve and Lenka Thomson.ks190645-13 SUS-191126-212948008
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Husband Kandarp said he hopes the big win will be a good luck charm for the shop in the future.

He said: “£105m will be really good for them.

“We’ve sold winning tickets before but not as big. We have sold £1,000 and £5,000 tickets.  We might buy one ourselves now.”

Steve and Lenka, who have been together for 17 years, met while working in the maintenance and arcade departments, respectively, at the Bunn Leisure complex in Selsey, according to the resort.

ks190658-1 Selsey Lottery Newsagent  phot kate
Kandarp and Priti Patel from Pretty's Newsagents which issued the winning ticket.ks190658-1 SUS-190312-220919008ks190658-1 Selsey Lottery Newsagent  phot kate
Kandarp and Priti Patel from Pretty's Newsagents which issued the winning ticket.ks190658-1 SUS-190312-220919008
ks190658-1 Selsey Lottery Newsagent phot kate Kandarp and Priti Patel from Pretty's Newsagents which issued the winning ticket.ks190658-1 SUS-190312-220919008

Director Danny Kaye said: “We’re delighted for Steve and Lenka and wish them all the best in the future.”

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Speaking at a press conference last Tuesday, the winning couple, who have been married for 13 years and have three children, said they ‘don’t want to leave Selsey’.

Steve also said he would be ‘sensibly generous’ with the money. Read more here