Ryan Briggs, a 46-year-old Royal Air Force veteran from Pembrokeshire, spent 23 years as an RAF medic, completing tours of Iraq and Afghanistan before joining the NHS as a paramedic during the coronavirus pandemic. He met his wife, Kelly, while they were both serving in the RAF when they were just 19; Kelly worked as a Logistics Mover while Ryan remained a medic before moving to the NHS in 2020.
Speaking about his career and marriage, the father-of-two said: “I have always wanted to work in healthcare. When I was growing up, my father was always taking us to air shows down at RAF St Athan, I always had a fascination with these planes. This led me to join the RAF as a medic.
“Kelly and I met while serving in the RAF. Kelly was discharged and she was going to have to move back up to the north of Scotland so we decided to have what some people call a ‘shotgun’ wedding and it worked for us because we are still happily married 27 years later.”
The prize reveal
Ryan's winning week began after he entered a competition with Elite Competitions for £4.28. He was given the choice of a 2026 Lamborghini Temerario or £300,000 in cash, and was flown by helicopter from the couple's Welsh home to Blackpool to see the prize and make his decision.
“I have flown in so many helicopters over the years, Sea Kings, The Chinooks and pretty much every RAF helicopter you can think of, but this one was a lot safer, more comfortable and definitely heading to a very different destination. The journey also wasn’t in 40-50 degree Celsius heat,” Ryan said.
The car was revealed at a hangar at Blackpool Airport. “I was told that we would be going to the Elite Competitions HQ to see the car, then a team member told me that the car was actually at the airport. The reveal was insane, the hangar doors being opened, the confetti cannons went off, then seeing it and just thinking: ‘Wow. Wow.’
“When I was in the RAF and used to get nice cars, I used to take them into the hangars at work to take pictures of the cars. It was really cool.”
A sensible decision
Despite describing the Lamborghini as his dream car, Ryan chose the £300,000 cash alternative. “Although a Lamborghini is my dream car and I had pictures of them on my wall growing up, I made the sensible decision even though it was hard. Me and Kelly can now clear our debts, pay the rest of the mortgage off and treat our boys.
“Whilst in the RAF, we moved so often that we only managed to buy a home recently. We were in different areas each year such as Scotland, Yorkshire and Oxfordshire. Being able to pay our mortgage off at 46 is huge.
“I can now reduce my hours in the future if I wanted to. I’m fit and healthy now, but that can change. It takes a lot of pressure off.”
Alex Beckett, CEO of Elite Competitions, said: “Ryan has spent a lot of his life helping others, through his service in the RAF, then as an NHS paramedic. Knowing this prize will give them financial security after years of public service makes it an especially rewarding winning story.”
