I spent £3 on the pub lottery and won £300,000 but only a QUARTER ended up in my bank account

A WOMAN who spent £3 on the lottery while enjoying a drink in the pub won a £300,000 jackpot but only received a quarter of that.

Julie Towse and her partner Karen Baylis, together with her friends Ann Swallow and Julie Boocock, deposited the small amount five years ago.

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And they have now all been celebrating after winning a share of the £1million jackpot in the lottery’s Millionaire Street prize.

Julie, 65, and Karen, 76, have big plans in the works after winning the eye-watering prize which came from a drink in the pub.

Julie says she and Karen are planning to upgrade a holiday to Australia next one July.

The couple are taking Julie’s sister Alison Howson, 57, to meet her daughter Gemma Tilse, 31 – who is expecting her second child in January – at her home, two hours’ drive from Sydney.

Partner Julie, who is also a retired prison officer, said their trip to Oz will now be very special.

She said, ‘I’ll tell my sister this afternoon. We don’t have to worry about anything now.

‘My sister is going home after three weeks, but Karen and I are staying and renting a car to drive up the coast to Brisbane and from there we fly home.’

She added: “This hasn’t dawned on me yet. I had a sleepless night about it.”

And they also promised to help their two nieces.

Emotional Karen said: “Julie and I are going to Australia in July to visit Julie’s niece. It won’t be economy now, it will be first class.

“The first thing we started talking about when we knew we won something was who we give the money to.

‘Our two nieces need the money. They’re younger, so it goes to them.’

She added: “I would also like a new utility room. You can’t explain the emotions you feel, this is absolutely amazing.”

Retired prison officer Karen, from Overton, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, added: “It’s great to share this fantastic win with our dear friends who live just across the road.

“We decided to have one card between us and see what we got. I never imagined anything like this. Maybe I should start singing. It’s just amazing.”

The other half of the foursome also have big plans as they split the money – each worth more than £83,333.

Pals Ann and Julie Boocock, 65, live directly opposite each other in adjacent semi-bungalows.

Widow Ann Swallow, 76, broke down as she spoke about how she would treat her son and two grandsons.

The retired market trader said: ‘We are all good friends here. There is no other street like ours. It’s great to win with three friends, we’re all in it together.

‘I thought it might be £30,000 between us. Even £250 each would have been Nice.

“You never think about this. You see it on TV and wish it would happen to you, but when it does you get very emotional.”

She added: “I have two grandchildren and one is going to college so I can help them.”

Julie, married to hubby Neil, 78, said she would like a new kitchen, a sofa and a gold walking stick.

But after keeping news of the victory a secret from the family, she wants to take care of their four children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The former garden center chef said: “My husband gave me a kiss before I came here and said, ‘Maybe I won’t see you again’.

“We will help our family. This will make them a little happier. My husband and I are fully booked to go to Tenerife, but this will make it much more fun.”

She laughed: “I’d like a new sofa and a new kitchen. Maybe even a gold walking stick. I didn’t want to get too excited. I thought it would be around £2,000. I would have been very happy with that.”

Karen, partner Julie and Ann are all founders of a group of friends who call themselves ‘The Staying Alive Gang’ – and have scarves, bags and umbrellas with their logo.

They have already booked a villa with three other friends to go to Center Parcs Sherwood Forest next March, but the break could now be stepped up.