A builder who won the lottery celebrated his win by going back to work and buying a round of bacon butties for all his coworkers.
Paul Bevans, from Pembrokeshire in Wales, popped down to his local Nisa store on Marble Hall Road in Milford Haven a couple of months back on 27 March to buy himself a lottery ticket - and to his surprise, the ticket he bought ended up matching all five main numbers in the National Lottery’s 'Set For Life' draw.
His win means he now gets an impressive jackpot of £10,000 every month for a year.
"I couldn’t believe what I was seeing," Paul told the National Lottery after his win, "In fact I was so unsure, that I scanned the ticket about five times with my eyes firmly open, and each time there was the same winning message."
The 50-year-old wasted absolutely no time in celebrating after hitting the jackpot, but first made sure to hop in his van and head back to work to "show [his] boss and the other lads" the ticket, before heading to the local shop to get it checked over properly and calling the National Lottery.
Not only that, but he also treated his work pals by "shouting the lads a bacon, sausage and egg roll to celebrate" his win.
Builder celebrates winning lottery by buying bacon butties for all his coworkers / Credit: Aled Llywelyn (via the National Lottery)
Paul has revealed that, for now, he has no plans to stop working despite his win, and once he made the call to the National Lottery to confirm the ticket, he headed straight back to the house clearance job he was on along with everyone else.
He has said that he's beginning to think about what the future may hold, and does have a couple of ideas on his wish list for spending his winnings.
"To be honest it really hasn’t sunk in," Paul admitted.
"The idea that £10,000 will be paid to me every month for the next year takes some getting used to. I’ve worked all my life but never had money like that, or dreamt I ever would, but I do have a few ideas up my sleeve.
The 50-year-old gets £10,000 every month for a year / Credit: Aled Llywelyn (via the National Lottery)
"I won’t be buying anything too soon, I’ve waited this long so I’ll wait until the end of the summer when there should be some good deals about.
"If I can get the time off, I might book myself a little trip to Jamaica, as years ago my mum went and she said it was an island paradise, so I fancy a bit of that. And the only other thing on my wish list for now is a trip to Anfield to see Liverpool play at home.
"I’ve been a lifelong fan and never seen them play, other than on the telly."
Paul also started saving up for a campervan a couple of years back, and his winnings now mean he could be the proud owner of one by the end of the year "hit the open road and explore more of Wales and the UK".
One of Leeds’ most iconic buildings is set to be brought back to life.
Plans for a brand-new padel and leisure destination at The Roundhouse on Wellington Road have been approved by Leeds City Council’s West Plans Panel.
Consent has been granted for Ollo Padel to transform the Grade II* listed Roundhouse into a state-of-the-art sport, fitness, food, drink and community venue subject to conditions and completion of a Section 106 agreement.
Built in 1847 for the Leeds and Thirsk Railway Company, The Roundhouse was once home to the steam locomotives that powered industrial Victorian Leeds. In recent years, the building has stood largely unused.
Image: Supplied
The approved plans will restore and protect the landmark building and give the site a new, long-term future as one of the city’s most distinctive leisure destinations.
The three-acre site, located on the edge of Leeds city centre, will include nine outdoor doubles padel courts under a 10-metre canopy, plus a dedicated indoor coaching court within The Roundhouse itself.
At the heart of the site will be the Ollo Clubhouse; built around an all-day kitchen and bar, it will combine a comfortable lounge and co-working space, meeting rooms and live sport and events spaces.
The kitchen and bar will be run in partnership with Southbank Provisions, the independent Leeds hospitality team behind Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Galleria whilst the gym will be operated by fitness and performance specialists Northbound, who will bring strength and conditioning practice, Hyrox training and pilates classes to The Roundhouse.
Image: Supplied
Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the venue aiming to open in early 2027.
Luke Gidney, Founder & CEO Ollo Padel: "This is a huge day for Leeds, for The Roundhouse and for Ollo. The Roundhouse has been part of the city’s story for nearly 180 years. It’s an incredible building but it needs people, energy and purpose again. Our plan is to bring it back to life as a place where people can play, eat, work, meet friends and feel part of something.
"Padel is growing so quickly because it’s fun, social and easy to pick up. But for us, this is about more than just the courts. We want Ollo to become a proper community destination for Leeds, somewhere welcoming, joyful and full of life.
"We’re incredibly grateful to Leeds City Council’s planning team, our case officer, the wider council team and everyone who has supported the project to this point. This has been a complex project but the sport and engagement throughout has been brilliant. Now the real work starts and we cannot wait to open the doors for you.”
New study crowns Leeds as one of the friendliest cities in the UK
Clementine Hall
New research has revealed a global ranking of cities with the best customer service, with Leeds taking one of the top spots.
If you've been wondering which cities across the world are the friendliest of them all, then look no further because MoneySuperMarket have done the work for us in a new study.
In a world where social media culture plays a huge part in people's lives, online customer reviews are pretty important to local businesses.
To uncover the global locations that are home to the best customer service, the businesses insurance experts analysed over 100,000 reviews of leisure and hospitality businesses in 107 cities worldwide.
They looked at the language in the reviews to see how often friendly workers and staff were mentioned, building a global ranking of the cities where customer service truly stands out.
Out of a whopping 107, Leeds came in at a very respectable number 12. Now we think that's pretty good going.
Outside of the UK, Hanoi, Paris, Montreal and Abu Dhabi were highlighted for their friendly customer service whilst Edinburgh tops the global ranking, with Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol also making the world’s top 10.
The top 10 cities in the UK with the best customer service are as follows:
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Birmingham
Bristol
Belfast
Leeds
Glasgow
Cardiff
Manchester
London
Alicia Hempsted spoke on the study: “As businesses grow and engage with more customers, it’s important to make sure they’re protected. Public liability insurance is an important safeguard for those working with the public, helping to cover costs if something goes wrong, while also showing customers that their experience is taken seriously - from the moment they walk through the door to long after they’ve left.”
The Hoot -
11th May 2023 
