Over 250% increase in cocaine-related deaths caused by men in 'prime of their life'
Search
16 Dec 2025
Search
16 Dec 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
A Welsh couple have defied the odds with a second £1 million National Lottery win.
Richard Davies, 49, and Faye Stevenson-Davies, 43, who celebrated their first win seven years ago, said it proves “fairy tales do come true”.
The pair, from Brecon, secured their second big win in the Lotto draw in November but have no plans to quit their jobs in the run-up to Christmas.
Mr Davies said he will continue to work seven days a week as a courier while Mrs Stevenson-Davies, a mental health worker, will offer support to her clients throughout the festive period.
Mrs Stevenson-Davies said: “We always believed winning was possible, and once we scooped £1 million and met hundreds of other lucky winners, we realised fairy tales do come true and there are winners everywhere.
“We knew the odds of it happening again were outrageous but we’re proof that if you believe, anything is possible.”
According to experts at Allwyn, operator of the National Lottery, the odds of the couple winning both the EuroMillions Millionaire Maker in 2018 and then five numbers and the bonus ball on Lotto are over 24 trillion to one.
Following the first win, Mrs Stevenson-Davies gave up work as a mental health nurse and went back to university, getting a second degree in counselling and therapeutic practice.
She now has her own practice, and says she has no plans to “abandon” her clients after her second “bit of luck”.
Mr Davies, who previously worked as a hairdresser, said he started his job as a courier two years ago and “loves it”.
The pair also volunteer with organisations that have received National Lottery funding, including Haircuts4Homeless in Cardiff.
Mr Davies added: “Everyone keeps asking what we’ll do in the future and we genuinely have no idea at present.
“We may have believed, doesn’t mean we had a plan.
“The first time around we gifted people cars, we donated a minibus to the local rugby team, and did our best to help friends and family.
“It was all new and it was amazing to be able to make a difference.
“This time, who knows, we’ll take our time and enjoy the moment.”
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
