New specs help millionaire Ruth focus on a year of firsts

Ruth Giblin describes herself as “quite a practical person”, so her first purchase after becoming a National Lottery millionaire shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The 45-year-old from Telford said, “I bought an eye test and glasses.”

It would be understandable if Ruth felt her eyesight needed checking when she found out she’d won a £1MMillion prize in a special EuroMillions draw on 22nd July 2022. But a year down the track, Ruth and her 49-year-old husband Rob are happily adjusting to the millionaire lifestyle.

The past 12 months have seen the Giblins chalk up all sorts of firsts. They’ve taken their children on their first flight, visited London for the first time and bought their first dog – a miniature Schnauzer called Rohan. Rob, an engineer, has also taken his first career break after deciding to retrain as a teaching assistant.

Summing up their first year as millionaires, Ruth said, “It has sunk in, sort of. I do still have some pinch myself moments and then some days I go back to the old days when we couldn’t afford much. I remember not wanting to pay for a gondola trip in Venice because it was €80. I could have afforded it, but it seemed a bit of a rip off.”

Rob agrees it’s been a big adjustment. He said, “I had the car serviced the other week. They called to say I needed some new tyres and I just told them to carry on. Last year I would have been in bits.”

As well as practical purchases like tyres and glasses, the Giblins have been able to indulge their love of travel. Their first foreign holiday for over 20 years, and their kids’ first ever flight, was to Italy – Rome, Florence, and Venice. The couple also visited London for the first-time last Christmas. Ruth enjoyed it so much she made a return visit shortly afterwards to see her favourite musical, Les Misérables.

The family has also taken their best friends on a trip to Cornwall and are planning a Christmas in New York and a beach holiday somewhere exotic in 2024.

Closer to home, Ruth and Rob have paid off their mortgage and had a new kitchen fitted at their home. They’re also paying for an extension to be built at Ruth’s parents’ house.

Ruth said, “Family is very important to us. My parents look after my sister who has additional needs, so an extension will mean everyone has more space.”

Recounting the moment the family became millionaires, Ruth said, “We got up early for a swim and I saw I had an email telling me I had good news about my ticket. When I logged into my account on the National Lottery app, it was telling me I had won £1%%m%!”

Their reaction when it was confirmed they’d won? Ruth said, “We were just stunned and started crying. We woke the kids up to tell them the news, then went across the road to my parents to tell them, on what was Dad’s birthday.”

Ruth is documenting every moment of the family’s National Lottery journey in a box containing everything from postcards from abroad to London Underground tickets. She said, “I look through it and see all the things we’ve been able to do so far, all the firsts for our family, all after our lucky win last year.”

17th August 2023