Winning numbers come up for donkey sanctuary

And yesterday 12 winners from the region put on their gardening gloves and wellington boots to help build a new garden and orchard for children with special needs.

Among them were Susan and Michael Crossland from Mirfield, near Dewsbury, who scooped 1,218,618 in July 2008.

The couple have remained in their four-bedroomed semi and Mr Crossland has even gone back to work, being employed two days a week at a local farm shop, because he was getting bored with daytime TV.

Mrs Crossland, 46, a mother of four said: "We have not really changed, we are still the same people.

"We are still in the same house, we had just bought it just before we won the Lottery, so we stayed there.

"It's lovely not having a mortgage though," she added.

The couple bought a property for family members and are planning to renew their wedding vows later in the year. But they haven't chosen a luxurious hotel on a Caribbean island for the ceremony – instead, in keeping with their down-to-earth personalities ,it will take place in Mirfield.

Mrs Crossland has helped other charities since her win and yesterday, while they were working on the garden and orchard for the Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys (EST) centre, at Eccup, Leeds, Mrs Crossland decided to sponsor four donkeys.

"I get a lot of pleasure spending money on other people," she said.

The winners, along with staff from Camelot, volunteered to help create a new outdoor space at EST, to be used by children at the charity which provides riding therapy with donkeys to children with special needs and disabilities.

Volunteers yesterday included Chesterfield Lotto millionaire Karen Child and husband Wayne Smith, who won 8,471,383 in February 2007; Jackie King from Grimsby, who won 14m in November 1998; Sue and Norman Harris and Elaine and Rob Leason from a Driffield Tesco syndicate, which won 18.2m in July 2005, shared between 11 people; and Tony Dugard, Julie Clark and Kevin Di-Miele, members of a Corus syndicate from Scunthorpe, which scooped 2.2m in July 2009.

Ms King gave up her job as an adult education administrator following her win and moved from her three-bedroomed semi to a larger six-bedroomed house in the country.

She has also enjoyed exotic holidays but has tried not to get carried away and ensure her two sons appreciate the value of money.

She is also involved with a local hospice, and is helping to organise a fundraising ball.

"I like to give something back, I am privileged to have won the Lottery and it's nice to give something back," she said.

Yesterday the volunteers spent the day doing a variety of tasks including digging and filling flower beds with top soil, planting fruit shrubs, vegetables and salads and making fencing.

One or two of those volunteering had some very handy skills. Rob Leason, a builder, is currently renovating his home and Norman Harris was a joiner before his Lottery win.

Mr Harris said: "It's just putting something back into the community, really."

Tony Dugard, who together with his partner Julie Clark, won more than 500,000 as part of a syndicate says he was attracted because it was a self-sufficiency project.

EST centre manager Cathryn Williams said: "We were so pleased to welcome these brilliant volunteers, who have been an enormous help in creating our Rainbow Garden.

"The garden is an allotment area that is accessible for children with disabilities and will provide a fun, hands on activity for them to enjoy alongside their donkey riding therapy sessions.

"We are currently raising funds for a wheelchair accessible greenhouse to add to the Rainbow Garden and orchard so that the centre can move towards self-sufficiency, and the children will be able to enjoy lunches that they have grown themselves."

[email protected]