Latest news with #TerryGillings
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Wearside stories you might have missed this week
From jubilant lottery winners to Elon Musk-style spending reviews - here are some of the stories from Wearside you might have missed this week. A builder who won £1m on the National Lottery says he has fulfilled "every parent's dream" by paying off his four daughters' mortgages. Terry Gillings, of Stanley, County Durham, said he would "never forget" phoning his children to tell them about the win. However, the triumph was accompanied by heartbreak as his 85-year-old father, who had prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease, died two days later. "I like to think knowing [my wife] Caroline and I, and the girls, were all well set up for the future meant he slipped away more peacefully," Mr Gillings said. A woman who was the first baby to have a heart transplant in the UK says families should not be able to overturn a loved one's decision to donate their organs. Family-blocked donations have almost tripled from 255 in 2020/21 to 680 in 2023/24, according to official figures, leading to an estimated 2,040 "missed opportunities" last year. Kaylee Davidson-Olley, from Houghton-le-Spring, who had transplant surgery at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital in 1987, said lives were continuing to be lost. NHS Blood and Transplant said families were "always involved" in donation and they might have important information which was vital in understanding whether organs were safe for donation. A festival has been cancelled after attempts to save it failed, organisers have said. Northern Kin was due to take place at Thornley Hall farm, in County Durham, at the beginning of August. Organiser Wannasee Ltd had previously said discussions were under way to preserve the festival after 10 of its other events, including Stone Valley North and Kubix, were cancelled at the end of May. But a social media post on Wednesday confirmed Northern Kin would not be going ahead, despite the team having worked "around the clock" to find a way to run it. A council is set to undergo an Elon Musk-style review into its spending. Reform UK, which took charge of Durham County Council following the elections in May, has set up a unit to look into "wasteful spending", inspired by Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) in the United States. The party said teams of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors would "visit and analyse" the local authorities it controlled, starting with Kent County Council this week. Promoting the party's scheme, Durham County Council leader Andrew Husband posted on social media: "Coming to a county near you." Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
7 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Stanley lottery winner fulfils 'every parent's dream'
A builder who won £1m on the National Lottery says he has fulfilled "every parent's dream" by paying off his four daughters' Gillings, of Stanley, County Durham, said he would "never forget" phoning his children to tell them about the the triumph was accompanied by heartbreak as his 85-year-old father, who had prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease, died two days later."I like to think knowing [my wife] Caroline and I, and the girls, were all well set up for the future meant he slipped away more peacefully," Mr Gillings said. The 61-year-old added: "I told dad we'd won a million and, true to character, his first words were 'don't lie to us!'"My dad always said 'celebrate the wins'. That's exactly what we intend to do and I've enjoyed telling everyone I've bumped into since that we've won."We've always worked hard and helped our kids where we can, but this is a whole other level. Surely it's every parent's dream."I'll never forget phoning our daughters to tell them that their mortgages were being paid off. It generated quite a bit of screaming and joy." Mr Gillings has been a builder since he left school and continued to work in the days after the win but might now focus on his own project - developing a plot of land he bought with a friend some years and his wife, 54, will also use the money to support Breast Cancer Awareness after close family members were affected by the Gillings, a keen breeder of endangered birds such the Bali myna, hopes to spot one in the wild with a visit to Indonesia.A trip to Machu Picchu, in Peru, is also on the cards for the Gillings won the Lotto game on 26 March with the numbers 14, 17, 18, 22, 34 and 58. Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Independent
7 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Builder had to convince poorly father he really had won £1m on lottery
A builder who won £1 million on the National Lottery had to convince his seriously ill father that he really had become a millionaire. Sadly, Terry Gillings' 85-year-old father died two days after hearing about the County Durham family's life-changing win. But Mr Gillings, 61, and wife Caroline, 54, were determined to enjoy their good fortune which they will share with their four daughters. Mr Gillings, whose father had prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease, said: 'I told dad we'd won a million and, true to character, his first words were 'piss off, don't lie to us!' 'I like to think knowing Caroline and I, and the girls, were all well set up for the future meant he slipped away more peacefully. 'My dad always said celebrate the wins, that's exactly what we intend to do and I've enjoyed telling everyone I've bumped into since that we've won.' The couple will use their win to pay off their daughters' mortgages, and Mr Gillings said: 'We've always worked hard and helped our kids where we can but this is a whole other level – surely it's every parent's dream. 'We decided pretty much straight away that we wanted the girls to benefit from our luck. 'I'll never forget phoning our daughters to tell them that their mortgages were being paid off, it generated quite a bit of screaming and joy.' Mr Gillings has been a builder since he left school and continued to work in the days after the win but might now focus on his own project, developing a plot of land he bought with a friend some years ago. The couple will also use money to support Breast Cancer Awareness after close family members were affected by the condition. He said: 'We've had our share of bad luck and hopefully by donating some of our win we can help other families to be luckier when it comes to this horrible disease.' Mr and Mrs Gillings also plan to visit Indonesia to see the endangered Bali myna birds, which he breeds, and to visit Machu Picchu in Peru. They won the Lotto game on March 26 with the numbers 14, 17, 18, 22, 34 and 58.
