Three weddings on one Northampton street after lottery win
Neighbours in Kingsthorpe have vowed to marry their other halves after they shared a £1 million prize
Three couples living on the same street in Northampton have all vowed to tie the knot after a £1 million lottery win.
They were among eight people sharing the money after their NN2 postcode was chosen in the People's Postcode Lottery.
Nathan Brown and Jamie Holden have vowed to marry their other halves after they each bagged £125,000 prize. Ashli Wise said she and her partner will have the wedding party of their dreams after COVID curtailed their big day.
Nathan, who proposed to childhood sweetheart Jade during an Eminem concert in July 2014, said: "There are so many things we'll be able to do. We’ll finally get married for one."
Jade said: "We did the house and children first and put the wedding on the back burner. It's maybe about time we got round to a wedding. We've always said we'd love to get married abroad. We went to Jamaica with our friends years ago and when we were there, we both said we'd love to get married in Jamaica."
Before any big day takes place, the couple want to make some home improvements and get a more reliable car.
Another couple was Jamie Holden and his fiancée Laura Fullthorpe. Motorbike mechanic Jamie said: "I can't even remember pulling out the cheque, it's a blur. I’ve never seen that sort of money ever."
Laura, a special needs support worker at a local college, added: "We're not sure if we're dreaming?"
The pair, who share four children, have been together for seven years, engaged for four and will also put some of their winnings towards a wedding – but only after buying a bigger house so they can all live together.
Mum-of-three Ashli Wise also held a winning ticket and will finally have the wedding celebration and honeymoon that her and husband Cory Wise missed out on because of COVID.
Ashli said: "I'm so excited and just over the moon. We can have a real wedding reception, and we can take our children away on our honeymoon."
The couple, who wed in their back garden during the COVID pandemic in 2020, said they'll now have a full celebration.
Ashli said: "We got married on the first day that we were allowed to have 15 guests for a wedding, and we literally just had a tea party in our garden. And everyone had face masks on. Now we can actually have a wedding reception which will be lovely, and without having to save for years."
Former personal trainer Ashli now has her sights set on a family-friendly honeymoon to Cyprus.
Northampton Hope Centre, which helps homeless people, will get £100,000 as a result of the lottery win.
Northamptonshire Association for the Blind will receive £50,000 and Springs Family Centre will collect £25,000.