Chester-le-Street man buys wife lottery tickets - and scoops £500,000

A woman has won £500,000 after her husband bought two winning lottery tickets in her name.

Gary Bewick from Chester-Le-Street in County Durham bought his wife Alison two tickets saying the reason he signed her up was because he wanted her "to have everything."

The mum-of-two cried when the two cheques were revealed after their postcode won the jackpot in Postcode Lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street prize.

Mrs Bewick, 57, said: “I assumed we had one ticket each, I didn’t even know they were in my name.

“We’d have been dead happy with £2,000. It’s unbelievable."

She added: “At my time of life, it’s life changing. I could retire."

Her husband Gary, 61, struggled to hold back tears on seeing the winning figure and joked: “I had a bit of dust in my eye.”

The couple, who have been together for 25 years, plan on spending the money on their two two sons Russell and Brendan.

Mrs Bewick said: “They’ll be made up for us – it’ll secure their futures.

"This means so many nice things to our family, and we’re a very strong family. We work together."

She added: “We’ll have to sit Gary’s mum down when we tell her – she nearly collapsed when I told her I was pregnant. She poured tea all over the cornflakes.”

Mr Bewick, who is motor enthusiast, plans to buy himself a classic Mini, and is also thinking of getting Brendan a car to celebrate him graduating in biochemistry.

He said: “I have seen a 1960s Mini all restored. I love my old classics and I like working on cars in the garage.”

His wife however will be treating herself to an electric bike.

The cash will also go towards a family trip to Key West in Florida, and Mrs Bewick's dream destination of Norway.

Two other neighbours shared the postcode winnings, picking up £250,000 each.

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