Volunteers, donors and suppliers of a community kitchen in Carmarthen were given the millionaire treatment as a team of National Lottery winners hosted a party to celebrate 30 years of The National Lottery and Cegin Hedyn’s 2nd anniversary.

The winner workforce – including a few who have catering experience – put on their aprons for a busy morning in the kitchen preparing lunch for their special guests, and for the local people who regularly enjoy Cegin Hedyn’s ‘pay-what-you-can’ vegan menu.

Meanwhile a slightly less culinary-minded but very enthusiastic team of National Lottery winners were busy decorating the dining hall, packing up small gifts and concocting mocktails to toast the double anniversary.

Alongside their work in the kitchen and prep getting Cegin Hedyn’s party ready, each of the winners wrote a thank you note to go alongside a little gift for all those involved in the success of Cegin Hedyn which, since opening, has served over 10,000 nutritious and delicious meals.

Happy to be back in the kitchen were Julie Amphlett, Louise Ward and Sian Thomas, who were catering staff at Neath Port Talbot Hospital when their syndicate, The Catering Girls, scooped a giant EuroMillions jackpot of £25,476,778.30. Julie said,

“It’s great to be back in the kitchen with the girls, it takes us right back to those years we spent in the hospital kitchen before our incredible win! And it’s nice to be using our skills for such a deserving project. The idea that everyone, from all walks of life, can come together and share a meal is so important within the local community.”

Joining the catering girls were Dave and Sarah Williams, Wales’ most recent National Lottery millionaires who celebrated their win in June 2024, Dave said,

“Since that incredible moment when our numbers came up I’ve pinched myself quite a bit, and today is no different. Firstly, it’s amazing to meet all these other lucky winners – I didn’t realise there were so many in Wales! – and it’s also been great to see where the Good Cause funding goes to, this project is doing some truly amazing things for the community in Carmarthen.

“Our lives have changed so much for the better since our winning moment. We moved into a new home where Trevor, our very boisterous dog, can finally wear himself out with his zoomies, and Sarah and I are taking things easy for a bit before we plan our next adventures, and if I know Sarah, that might well be deciding what pet will be joining our family next!”

Joining in with the Cegin Hedyn celebrations were other members of the lucky group of more than 7,200 millionaires who have been created since the launch of The National Lottery 30 years ago, including: Jeffrey and Davinia Pritchard (£1M, EuroMillions), Chris and Geraldine Bradley (£3.5M, Lotto), Richard & Faye Davies (£1M, EuroMillions), Nigel Willetts (£1M, EuroMillions) Mark and Helen Francis (£1M, EuroMillions) and Lyn Sexton and Ian Pearce (£1M, EuroMillions).

Joining the Welsh National Lottery millionaires were those who had travelled from the South West of England to lend a hand including ex-chefs Amo Riselli (£25M, Lotto) and Paul and Denise Hardware (£4.9M, Lotto), alongside Ruth and Peter Doyle (£1M, EuroMillions) from Wiltshire, Taryn and Grant Hawkes (£1M, Lotto) from Cornwall, from Somerset Dionne and Richard Buss (£1.9M, Lotto), from Devon Neil and Sue Smart (£1M, EuroMillions) and from Gloucestershire Tina & Ian Burgess (£6m, Lotto).

While the millionaire workforce were busy putting their decorating and culinary skills to the test, it was a chance for all those involved in Cegin Hedyn to sit back, relax and reflect on the project’s phenomenal success. Cegin Hedyn’s founder, Deri Reed, said,

“Cegin Hedyn was created to address food insecurity in Carmarthen. The name, meaning ‘Seed Kitchen’ in Welsh, signifies our mission to plant the seeds of community spirit and support, and as I look around today, I think we are well on that path. With the help from our donors and suppliers, and a dedicated team of volunteers, we’ve been able to ensure that everyone, from all walks of life, can come together and share a meal.

“We are touched that these lucky winners have given up their time today and helped us to thank the people who have made Cegin Hedyn such a success. The sense of fun and community in the room today is exactly what we stand for, and here’s to celebrating many more years of Cegin Hedyn and National Lottery winning moments.”