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Lotto Winner Becomes Hero After Saving Pensioner

Last Updated: Friday 1st April 2016, 09:41

A Lotto jackpot winner became a hero after saving an elderly man from the freezing Rochdale canal in Manchester. Alun Jones, who secured a Lotto jackpot of £1,135,578 in January 2013, rushed to the aid of 80 year-old Neville Tyldesley after the pensioner had fallen into the waterway.

Alun, who became an instant millionaire at the age of just 27 thanks to Lotto, was out jogging when he noticed the vulnerable octogenarian slumped by the side of the canal towpath. Neville, who is blind and suffers from dementia, had been sent home in a taxi by staff at Manchester Royal Infirmary on Easter Monday despite his family alleging they had pleaded to contact them beforehand so they could arrange his collection themselves. The pensioner, who had provided the taxi driver with his old address, found himself lost and confused before stumbling into the canal.

Alun Jones, who is currently studying horticulture, noticed Neville drooped on the banking, soaked and bleeding: “At first I thought it was someone lying down to pick something up, but as I got closer I could see that he was in trouble,” he told a reporter from the Manchester Evening News.

The Lotto winner, who left his job at a health and safety business soon after scooping his seven figure prize, recalled how he considered forgoing his run that day due to the bank holiday, but was mightily relieved that he persevered: “The whole path was deserted apart from us. It’s weird how some things happen for a reason - if I hadn’t gone running something terrible could have happened. I don’t think I did anything special, just what I could.”

Diane Brannan, Neville’s daughter, spoke of her family’s gratitude for Alun’s actions: “If it wasn’t for him my dad could have been dead. It was very very lucky. It was bank holiday and the streets were so quiet - he might not have been found.”

Don’t forget, this Saturday’s Lotto jackpot is an estimated £33.2 million, a prize that could see you help others, just like Alun did. Tickets are available to buy online or from authorised retailers across the country. Best of luck! 

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