Lottery win pals just Black Country boys

Five years ago today these two life-long pals scooped a £5million lottery jackpot. Women's Editor Maria Cusine catches up with the Black Country boys and finds they're still on top of the world - when they're not travelling it.

When you meet lottery millionaires John Radford and Alf Cole it's easy to see what they've been spending their winnings on.

With their sunkissed bronze tans, life has turned into one big holiday for the two pals.

They are the lottery jet setters. Since scooping £5.4million five years ago, the Black Country duo have travelled across the world in style - in first class - seeing the sights they could only dream about prior to that lucky day on May 3, 2003.

But while the former workmates treat themselves to the trips, they certainly haven't gone spending-crazy and insist, five years on, fortune has not changed them.

The pair still drink in their local, Alf still shops in Asda and carries his bus pass while John enjoys caravan holidays in Wales, albeit he upgraded his old model for a top of the range one, which, he says, resembles a bungalow.

"I feel like I'm on top of the world - which is exactly how I felt five years ago," beams 65-year-old Alf.

While they say they haven't changed - there's no denying a part of their lifestyle has.

Five years ago the pair, who have been friends since school, worked for a building contractor in Kingswinford, while their wives were both cleaners.

Their annual holiday then consisted of a summer fortnight in the likes of Benidorm or Cyprus.

But when they became overnight millionaires, the duo from Wordsley gave up their jobs and began their globe-trotting adventures.

The pair also bought new homes. "But nothing flash," they say, with Alf and wife Val moving to Wollaston and John and his wife Margaret to Kingswinford.

"There's not a great deal of difference to our homes," says John, 64, who moved from a three-bedroomed in Wordsley to a three-bedroomed in Kingswinford.

"We didn't want to go mad on huge houses," he said.

And they certainly don't have a line-up of flash cars on their drives.

Alf can't drive and had no intention of learning when he hit the jackpot at the age of 60.

"My bus pass is my driving licence. I treasure it," he smiles.

"I actually use public transport a lot more than I ever did before."

John's first lottery treat was a £30,000 Isuzu Trooper. He has since traded it in for a Land Rover Discovery. But it's the only vehicle his family owns.

"I've been to have a look at the new Jag but I still can't convince myself to have more than one car," he says.

"I'm the only driver at home so what's the point of having more?"

Instead, he and Alf spend their winnings - well their interest actually - on first class holidays.

Alf admits he's not a big fan of travelling to long haul destinations, and so he and Val spend most of their breaks in Cyprus.

"We have been to Barbardos and Dubai, but most of the time we stick with the Med," says Alf, who spends up to £20,000 a year on holidays.

Last year he and Val travelled to Cyprus six times.

"We love it. Cyprus is our favourite," he says.

John, however, has clocked up a lot more airmiles, with Australia, Barbados, USA, Canada, Fiji, Singapore, Mexico, Costa Rica and Hawaii among his holiday destinations over the past five years.

He has travelled with wife Margaret and his brother and sister-in-law and his holiday bill comes in at around £40,000 a year.

But their holiday spending barely makes a small dent in their winnings.

"Our bank manager actually told us we weren't spending enough," they laugh.

"Our holidays are our treat and we've been sensible, investing our money," says John.

And how have their wives coped with the win?

Both Val and Margaret are home birds, their husbands say, although both agree they love to shop.

"Val shops, shops and shops," laughs Alf.

But it's obviously not just the ladies who shop, I point out, judging by the appearance of the smartly-turned out duo.

Admiring John's tan leather jacket, I gasp when I spot its Roberto Cavalli label.

He tells me it cost £3,000 and he picked it up during his annual shopping trip to Harrods.

"When we first won the lottery we went to Harrods and Harvey Nicholls and I remember spotting a jacket for £500 and thinking it was expensive," he says.

"Well now I think that's cheap," he laughs. Alf says he still likes to get his shirts from M&S and he still picks up his groceries from Asda.

"I liked it before and I like it now," he says.

When it comes to fancy meals, they both say they'd rather stay at home than visit flash restaurants.

"This is posh for us," laughs John, during our chat at the Crown Inn at Iverley near Stourbridge.

Alf adds: "I like to eat at home. I'd rather have a meal at home than go out to a restaurant. I'm happy with a cheese and onion sandwich washed down with a bottle of Budweiser," he says.

The duo still do the lottery every week, sticking to the same winning numbers.

And they've even had a few tenners since their big win, Alf says proudly.

John and Alf may spend a lot of time up in the air, but it's obvious their feet are firmly on the ground.

"The past five years have been fantastic, but we haven't changed as people," says John.

"At the end of the day we're Black Country boys and nothing else," says Alf proudly, as they head home, dreaming of their next holiday.