A MUM who won £2million two years ago has put the money towards a room dedicated to her pet parrots.
Lesley Herbert, 44, made sure her two parrots were living in luxury with their own fully air conditioned room in her five-bed mansion in Basingstoke.
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The mum-of-four wanted to create a “natural haven” for African Greys Alfie and Sonny.
She 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.”
The room features specialist flooring, toys, plants and apparatus to keep them entertained.
But it also has a flatscreen TV so the birds can watch their favourite shows.
Lesley added: “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.”
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Lesley won the jackpot on a National Lottery scratchcard in 2021.
Her first rescue parrot had just dislocated her foot and Lesley was worried about her, and the vet bill.
She added: “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.”
Lesley’s first rescue parrot, Bibi, passed away soon after her win, but she quickly stepped in to rehome another African Grey whose elderly owner had recently died.
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.”
Before her win Lesley was terrified of flying, so also splashed out on a fear of flying course to overcome the phobia.
She was then able to take her whole family to Disney World in Florida.
She 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.”
It comes after a woman refused to give up her supermarket job stacking shelves at 2am despite winning the lottery.
And a £32.5million lottery winner enjoys a luxury lifestyle with a new lover after his split from his wife.
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