A Beccles couple who won £5.6m on a £1 lucky dip has formed a millionaire workforce to build a Norfolk animal charity a new stableyard.

Richard and Sue Stebbings were among a group of 11, with combined winnings of 18m, to roll up their sleeves to install post and rail fencing, a shed and raised garden bed for Miniature Donkeys for Wellbeing.

Millionaires-help-build-new-donkey-enclosure

Eastern Daily Press: Richard and Sue Stebbings, National Lottery winners from Beccles who are helping build a bigger stableyard at Mini Donks. Picture: Danielle BoodenRichard and Sue Stebbings, National Lottery winners from Beccles who are helping build a bigger stableyard at Mini Donks. Picture: Danielle Booden (Image: Archant 2021)

The couple won £5.6m from a lucky dip on December 1, 2010.

Mrs Stebbings, 54, a former supervisor at ASDA in Lowestoft, had picked up a lottery ticket as she left work and woke her family up after learning they had won half of an £11m prize.

She said: "I got up early and checked Teletext and checked the numbers and did a double check when I saw we won. I woke the kids and my husband up."

The couple, who have two grandchildren Oscar and Felix, has invested their winnings in property and supporting their family including children Victoria and Charlie.

Eastern Daily Press: East Anglian National Lottery winners helping build a bigger stableyard for the therapy minature donkeys at Minature Donleys for Wellbeing. Picture: Danielle BoodenEast Anglian National Lottery winners helping build a bigger stableyard for the therapy minature donkeys at Minature Donleys for Wellbeing. Picture: Danielle Booden (Image: Archant 2021)

Mr Stebbings, 56, said: "It [MiniDonks] is just up the road, it is a really good charity and I enjoy a bit of DIY, so we brought a wheelbarrow and other tools to help put some new fencing.

“We really hope that the additional yard space will make a real difference to the day to day running of Mini Donks, leaving Sarah and her team free to focus on delivering visits so more people can benefit from meeting these wonderful little donkeys.”

Eastern Daily Press: Sarah Mcpherson, founder and managing director of Minature Donkeys for Wellbeing. Picture: Danielle BoodenSarah Mcpherson, founder and managing director of Minature Donkeys for Wellbeing. Picture: Danielle Booden (Image: Archant 2021)

Sarah McPherson, founder of Mini Donks, said she was touched by the support from the £70,780 grant from the National Lottery and lottery winners.

She said: “Demand for a Mini Donk visit is growing by the day, and so is our herd with the welcome addition of Little Jack Rabbit who was born last August, but no matter how miniature, our donkeys needed a bigger yard.

"This really will make a huge difference to the organisation.”

Eastern Daily Press: One of the East Anglian National Lottery winners helping paint the bigger stableyard for the therapy minature donkeys at Minature Donleys for Wellbeing. Picture: Danielle BoodenOne of the East Anglian National Lottery winners helping paint the bigger stableyard for the therapy minature donkeys at Minature Donleys for Wellbeing. Picture: Danielle Booden (Image: Archant 2021)

Essex-based Tony and Deb Pearce, supported the project and tied in the work with a visit to their static caravan in Wells.

The couple won £1m on the lottery from November 2017.

Mrs Pearce said: "It helped us buy our caravan in Norfolk. We got married, refurbish our bungalow and stay at the Savoy and the Ritz.

Eastern Daily Press: East Anglian National Lottery winners helping build a bigger stableyard for the therapy minature donkeys at Minature Donleys for Wellbeing. Picture: Danielle BoodenEast Anglian National Lottery winners helping build a bigger stableyard for the therapy minature donkeys at Minature Donleys for Wellbeing. Picture: Danielle Booden (Image: Archant 2021)

"It came at the right time, we were down on our luck due to health and redundancies. It really came at the right time to lift us, now we enjoy the life we always wished for."

The team was completed by Terry Falgate, from Norfolk, Richard and Cathy Brown, from Suffolk, Susan Richards and Barry Maddox and Chris and Julie Jeffrey.