A year ago, a North-East couple struck lucky and won £3.6m on the National Lottery. Liz Lamb catches up with the Wynnes to see how their lives have changed.

THEY shop at Morrisons and enjoy a drink or two with their friends at the local pub. Their house may be bigger and their car flashier than most, but the Wynnes of Darlington appear to be like any other family. The only difference is a few million pounds.

This time last year, Anita Wynne switched on the TV at the modest three-bedroom home she had shared with her husband, Ken, for the past 20 years.

She was eager to discover which bonus ball had been selected on the National Lottery draw after entering a competition at her local pub, The Archdeacon in Cockerton, Darlington. The lucky punter who picked that night's winning ball would win £40. Anita missed out on the £40 - instead, she won £3.6m.

Sitting on the sofa with her teenage daughter Natalie, she could hardly take it all in as she checked, double-checked, and triple-checked her six winning numbers. Her emotions ranged from total disbelief to complete elation. She was rich.

"I remember exactly what I was doing," she says. "I was in the kitchen doing the tiling, we were redecorating at the time. I said to Natalie 'put Teletext on and see what the bonus ball is, we could win £40'. We checked the bonus ball and I was disappointed because I didn't have that.

"Then I realised that I had three of the other numbers. It didn't register at first, but then I thought, 'oh my god, I've got all six'. Natalie looked, I looked. I just couldn't believe it."

It was not until Anita and Ken had a visit from a National Lottery officer, who travelled to Darlington to verify their ticket, that the realisation slowly sunk in. They were millionaires.

"I kept the ticket safe in my bag in the bedroom,", she says. "I must have checked it a thousand times. I can't believe it's been a year since we won. We didn't find out until the Sunday. The ticket had been in my bag all day Saturday and Sunday and I hadn't known."

Life for the Wynnes hasn't changed much, they say. They still meet up with all their old friends every Sunday at the Archdeacon. "We go and play bingo with our friends. Everyone shouts at us if we win," jokes Ken.

One of their biggest splurges has been a six-bedroom home in one of Darlington's most prestigious areas, Blackwell. It's a far cry from the £35,000 house they used to own a mile down the road.

The house is an impressive building with a tree-lined drive and expansive landscaped grounds, but I had imagined something bigger and wealthier, something that screamed 'I'm a jackpot winner'.

It is by no means cheap - it went on the market for £595,000 - but neither is it a millionaire's mansion. It has two bathrooms, a drawing room, wine store and one and a quarter acres of land, but for multi-millionaires, it was a modest buy.

"We haven't gone mad with the money. We have invested wisely and a lot of it we can't touch," says Anita, 47. "We bank with Coutts, the Queen's bank, and our bank manager sorted that out. One difference is I don't go to see the bank manager now, he comes to see us. The money makes you a bit more secure. I don't worry about the bills like I used to."

The Wynnes appear to be unaffected by their wealth. Down-to-earth and friendly, there are no airs and graces when I turn up to meet them.

Anita serves me instant coffee in a mug, no fine bone china here.

"I wouldn't really say that our lives have changed all that much over the past year," says Anita. "I still play on the darts team at the 'Deacon with the girls. I go every Wednesday. I like going out with the girls.

"Apart from the house and cars - we have a Mazda MX5 sports car - and bits of furniture, we haven't really splashed out on any big purchases."

Daughter Natalie, 15, still goes to Branksome Comprehensive. Ken and Anita decided against taking her out of the school in favour of private education.

"Her friends are there and it didn't seem fair to move her," says Anita. "She would miss them too much and she is happy there."

The money has allowed the Wynnes more time to do things that they enjoy. After the win, Ken retired from his job of 11 years as an electrician at Tomlinson and Longstaff in West Auckland. Anita followed suit, giving up her job as a care assistant at The Garden Nursing Home, in Darlington.

Ken, 54, spends his days working on the house and garden and fuelling his passion for football. Originally from Manchester, he has been a Manchester City supporter since he was seven years old. He was a season ticket holder before he won the Lottery but now he can afford to buy a box at the club's new stadium.

When the club faced their first division championship clash with Barnsley, Ken was desperate to get tickets for the match, but it was a sell-out. He was told by the club's management that the only way he would be able to watch the game would be to sponsor the whole event - so he did.

"We had a cracking day. We met the players and selected the man of the match. Anita met her hero Kevin Keegan, she got to have her picture taken with him and chat to him."

"We also met Noel Gallagher as he is a big Manchester City fan,", says Anita. "Natalie was impressed with that. Every time someone came in the room she would gasp 'there's so and so'. We also met Kevin Kennedy from Coronation Street and the guy who plays Cain Dingle in Emmerdale."

At the moment the Wynnes are concentrating on building their dream holiday home on the Greek island of Crete, the family's favourite holiday destination for the past 13 years. "This time last year we thought we wouldn't be having a family holiday," says Anita. "We were struggling a bit. We had already bought a piece of land before we won the Lottery, but now we could afford to buy a bigger piece. The house should be finished by Easter."

As well as Greece, the family has been able to afford a trip to New York where Anita treated herself to an 18 carat diamond and ruby ring from Tiffany's, a favourite haunt of movie stars and models. "It cost nearly £4,000," beams Anita.

Despite rumours that Lottery winners are swamped with begging letters from people asking for money, the Wynnes have yet to receive a single letter. "We were warned that might happen but we didn't get any at all," says Anita.

Though the family's bank balance may never again go into the red, some habits never change.

"We still shop at Morrisons and Safeway, we are not into Harrods or Fortnum and Masons," says Ken. "Anita still looks for the bargains, the two-for-the-price-of-one offers. Why go anywhere else? We stick to what we know."