Lottery winner funds centre for vulnerable adults

Steve and Lenka Thomson won the £105m EuroMillions jackpot in 2019

A builder who won £105m on the National Lottery has funded and helped create a new centre for vulnerable young adults.

Steve Thomson, from Selsey, West Sussex, scooped the EuroMillions jackpot in 2019, vowing to give back to his local community.

On Friday, the 48-year-old opened a new permanent building for the charity Together Our Community (TOC) in Chichester.

"I knew exactly where I wanted to help after I won," Mr Thomson said.

The father-of-three added: "A few friends have sons and daughters with autism and other learning difficulties, and there was nowhere in the area for them to congregate safely, learn skills and make friends.

"As soon as they turn 18, they are completely forgotten about unless they're lucky enough to get a funded place in college.

"Even so, parents are left totally isolated and often have to give up their own jobs to support their kids.

"It's a real struggle and heartbreaking to hear their stories."

A spokesperson for the charity said the funding would "transform our ability to support young adults with disabilities to live, learn and work".

Mr Thomson said: "At first I helped TOC in a small way, buying a second-hand minibus to take the young people out for work experience with local businesses, volunteering activity and fun daytrips."

Steve Thomson has funded a new centre for vulnerable young adults in Chichester

Mr Thomson said he found a near derelict building in the middle of Chichester and poured his energy and resources into transforming it into the perfect base for the charity.

Across three floors, the new centre has a sensory room, an open-plan classroom and a training kitchen and cafe where the young people can learn how to cook and develop skills in hospitality.

Hilary Freeborough, from TOC, said: "When Steve said, 'I've found the building for you', we genuinely felt like we had won the jackpot ourselves.

"The support he has given us is incredible.

"He didn't just write a cheque. He has been here throughout, from planning the layout to ensuring we had the right circuit breakers, and the leaves were swept."

Fellow charity founder, Louise Collins, added: "Steve is so humble but we keep reminding him that his commitment to supporting us and the passion he has shown will be life-changing for so many young people."

Mr Thomson – who still visits his old village to meet his friends at the local pub – claimed his motivation came from a childhood spent volunteering alongside his father, Peter, a self-employed window cleaner.

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