Woman who won ?2m buys air-conditioned room with huge TV for …

When mum of four Lesley Herbert revealed the life-changing £2M prize on her Scratchcard she vowed to buy a house large enough for all her family, including her four children, two dogs and two parrots. Now, two years on, the family are together under one roof including African Greys Alfie and Sonny, beautifully homed in their own air-conditioned room in the family’s five-bedroom home on the outskirts of Basingstoke.

Lesley, 44, said: “People may think I’m crazy but my animals are very much part of the family so making sure they also benefited from the win is really important to me. Once the children had chosen their rooms, there was one spare which I decided to turn into the Parrot Room.”

With budget not an issue, Lesley set out to create a natural haven as close as possible to equatorial Africa for Alfie and Sonny, who were both bred in captivity. Investing in specialist flooring, plenty of toys, plants and apparatus to keep them entertained and an air conditioning system to ensure perfect air quality at all times, the rescue parrots are truly living in the lap of luxury.

Lesley said: “I know it’s not the jungles of Africa but the parrots seem to be very happy in their room and the freedom they enjoy. While I have tried to keep it as natural as possible, there’s one element that’s not quite so natural, a flat screen TV. Both birds love watching the TV, and for some unknown reason their favourite viewing is Dog the Bounty Hunter, they go wild for him!

“When I tell people that I have a room for my parrots at home you can tell they think I am crazy but, while fast cars and jewellery are top of some people’s ‘when I win the lottery’ list, for me it’s all about giving my family the best and happiest home, and that includes my parrots.”

Thinking back to the moment when she discovered her win, Lesley said: “I can still remember the moment I revealed that win. My very first rescue parrot had just dislocated her foot and I was worried about her, and the vet bill, so I think I was drowning my sorrows when I popped into the shop to get some spinach and instead treated myself to a chocolate bar and Scratchcard!

“Thank goodness I did. That decision has changed mine and my children’s lives beyond our wildest dreams, and I like to think for my pet parrots too!”

While Lesley’s first rescue parrot, Bibi, sadly passed away soon after her win, Lesley stepped in to rehome another African Grey whose elderly owner had recently died. Clearly a one woman bird, Sonny, the parrot kept attacking the widowed husband causing even more upset for the grieving man.

Lesley said: “At some point in the future I still want to establish a shelter for abandoned animals but with Sonny it seems this happened a little sooner than anticipated. It was such a sad story that I felt I had to take Sonny to give the elderly gentleman some peace, and Alfie some company.”

And it’s not just the parrots who have been spreading their wings since the win, Lesley attended a fear of flying course to overcome a long held phobia and as a result was able to take the whole family to Disney World in Florida, Lesley said: “Before my fear of flying wasn’t really a problem, I wasn’t in a position to jet off around the world but when I won I decided that I wasn’t going to let my phobia stand in my way. I’m so pleased I did, that first family trip to Florida was incredible and since then I have enjoyed plenty of European trips. Not only have I made incredible memories on these trips, I’ve gained so much confidence as a result of my travels and I’m excited to see more of this fabulous world.

“My dream has always been to travel to South America to see blue and gold macaws in the wild. Until two years ago I assumed this would be just that, a dream, and that I would have to be happy with watching them on telly. Now, thanks to my win, one of these days I’m going to make that dream a reality.”