A LUCKY woman who saw her “forgotten valley” street scoop £1million on the People’s Postcode Lottery said she didn’t think they would win anything.

Rebecca Banks was one of 11 winners on a street in Nantymeol, Ogmore Vale, to bag an eye-watering £83,333 each.

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Rebecca broke down in tears after the win and said the windfall was hard to believe for “the forgotten valley” village.

She said: “We are the forgotten valley as we don’t have many amenities for anyone.

“The buzz on the street and around the whole place is just unreal.

“We’ve got a couple of small shops, the pub has only been open a couple of months, there’s no supermarkets and the nearest is a 20-minute drive away.

“We don’t have any petrol stations, nothing at all. So, for this to happen is just incredible.”

Rebecca, who works for a credit union, said: “We can just enjoy life and have fun.

“We’re going to Thailand next April, so we might make a few upgrades.

“And it’s my 40th birthday in December, so now we could go on a nice weekend away.”

Alan and Muriel Owen also won a life-changing sum in the lotto.

Muriel said: “I couldn’t believe it, I thought it was a scam at first, and then I said to [Alan] somebody was playing a sick joke on us.”

Fortunately, the phone call confirmed their win was real, and now the couple look forward to splashing their newfound wealth.

Alan and Muriel wasted no time and had already booked a trip to Turkey to celebrate.

The lucky pair added that it was “amazing” to share the win with the other residents, describing them as “lovely valleys people”.

Most of the winners in Nantymeol came together to celebrate at the local village pub, with owner Helen Smith describing the news as “fantastic”.

She said: “It was a lovely atmosphere here, we put on free prosecco for everybody to help them celebrate.”

“It’s nice to see lovely people winning money.”

It comes after a great gran who won £166,666 says her husband will have to write a “begging letter” if he wants to see a single penny of it.

Gill English landed the cash on People’s Postcode Lottery in Rugby, Warwickshire – and is now planning a slap-up carvery dinner for her big family.

The retired carer also said she is prepared to buy her hubby a new pair of shoes – but only once she sees his “begging letter”.

How to enter the People’s Postcode Lottery

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• The Postcode Lottery is a subscription-based lottery in which players sign up with their postcode.
• Your postcode is your ticket number – 40p a day ensures entry into all drawers, or £12 a month.
• Once subscribed, they are automatically entered into every draw.
• Prizes are announced every day of the month.
• If your postcode gets luck, every player in your postcode wins.
• 33 per cent of the ticket price will go to charity that is re-funnelled back into the community.

At 81 years old, Peter Bate is more active than most people his age. For the past three decades he has worked as a teaching artist, sharing his expertise in landscapes and portraits with students from all walks of life.

Each week, he sets up his easel in his classroom in Austinmer, a small town on Australia’s east coast, and teaches them to produce vibrant works of art. His teaching method is rooted in demonstration, a hands-on approach that his students find both inspiring and instructive.

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Yet, it’s not only art that occupies Peter’s thoughts. Recently, he made a significant decision about his final resting place – one that reflects his deep respect for nature and the environment. Peter was one people of the first to buy a plot at Walawaani Way Conservation Burials, Australia’s first 100 per cent natural burial site.

Unlike traditional burial sites in Australia, Walawaani Way will only facilitate natural burials: bodies will not be embalmed in chemicals and coffins will be made from natural materials only. Native and fresh flowers will be allowed on the site, situated in a nature reserve on Australia’s eastern coast, but nothing that is not biodegradable such as plastic flowers.

The idea is that everything that is put into the ground will be beneficial for the soil. There are some hybrid cemeteries In Australia that have small areas for natural burials, but they are not dedicated to the regeneration of land nor for establishing protected forest for wildlife, as is the case at Walawaani Way.

When Peter dies, his final resting place there will be as picturesque as some of the scenes he teaches students to paint. The site is located on a mountain with incredible views looking onto lush green rolling hills and an estuary.

He came across Walawaani Way whilst reading the newspaper and, despite only having seen photos, decided to purchase a plot. Both he and his partner Rosemary will eventually be laid to rest there, next to each other. The pair have been together for 43 years. “She reckons you don’t get that long for murder!” he says.

Instead of gravestones, trees will mark each plot, although a stone or wooden plaque is allowed. As more people are buried on the site, it will be regenerated back to a living forest ecosystem.

“Neither of us wanted a big burial or funeral, we’re not into that,” says Peter. “This just ticked all the boxes. You’re giving something back, being in a nature reserve that’s trying to save animals like koala bears and Black Cockatoo from extinction.”

Walawaani Way is designed to be more than just a place to be laid to rest; but embody a philosophy of returning to the earth in a way that is gentle, respectful, and in harmony with nature. The beautiful setting makes it unsurprising that someone would choose to be buried here, but for Peter, whose art has always sought to capture the beauty of the natural world, the ethos felt like another way to give back to the environment that has provided so much inspiration for this work.

Walawaani Way was set up by Fiona McCuaig, who became interested in “green burials” after watching a documentary about a man’s search to find one. “I wanted to create a business that was going to create and protect habitat for Australian wildlife, especially the glossy black cockatoo, and creating a burial site seemed to me the best way to ensure its ongoing protection” she says.

The idea appealed to her because it combined two of her passions – property and conservation. She says that human bodies are full of minerals and beneficial properties for the earth, so natural burials nourish the soil, promoting vegetation to grow, which in turn provides food and habitat for future life on the planet.

“The last few years has seen a significant increase in death literacy and people are now realising that current end-of-life options are harmful to the environment. Instead, they want to leave a positive lasting legacy.”

She has faced many hurdles since starting the project eight years ago, but since opening sales in June this year has had a great response and hopes to have the first burial in the first half of 2025.

The cost of a plot starts at Aus $3,850 (just under £2,000), although additional funeral costs are likely to add up. However, this is cheaper than the average burial plot cost in the state of New South Wales (where the site is located) which sits at $5,788.

Despite making plans for his final resting place, Peter has no intention of going anywhere any time soon. He has students who have been coming to his classes for 15 years: “They keep coming back for more punishment,” he says with a mischievous smile.

He has now cut down to teaching just two art classes a week as “that’s about as much as I can comfortably enjoy” but has no plans to stop. He says he is not a particularly religious person, or someone who thinks about death often, so his decision to pick the site was as much about practicality as it was about the ethos.

“Now I’ve done this and got it out of the way, it’s all taken care of, and I can get on with living my life… We’re only here for a short time, I’m trying to pack as much in as I can.”

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November 5, by all accounts, is set to be America’s first “crypto election”. Hundreds of millions of real dollars have poured into pro-crypto political action committees. Kamala Harris has talked about encouraging “innovative technologies”. Donald Trump, her rival for the presidency, has decided that bitcoin isn’t “a scam” after all, embarked on a series of crypto ventures and promises to make America “the crypto capital of the planet”.

“The crypto voter is real, bipartisan and ready to engage this cycle,” the executive director of lobby group Stand With Crypto, founded and funded by America’s biggest crypto exchange Coinbase, enthused last week. (The group gives politicians grades for their crypto stance, and Trump — unusually — gets an A.)

But reader, I must level with you right off the BAT (a digital token): the crypto voter is not, in any substantive sense, real. Aside from the small group of men (OK, mainly men) whose livelihoods now depend on this digitally indigenous fluff, most Americans have rather bigger things to worry about — food prices, healthcare, the jobs market, or the general state of their nation, maybe.

The idea, therefore, that there is a “constituency” of crypto voters needing to be pandered to, whose top issue is making sure that exchanges and other companies aren’t too heavily regulated, is fanciful. And yet that is the narrative being pushed by the industry, along with some creatively interpreted statistics.

“Crypto is a national priority . . . 52mn Americans own crypto and want their voices to be heard in the upcoming elections,” claims Stand With Crypto (the 52mn is certainly contested). “Nearly nine in ten Americans believe the financial system is overdue for an update. Yet, US policymakers seem content on maintaining the status quo, rather than fulfilling their responsibilities.”

This, presumably, means making sure people like multibillionaire Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong can continue to get richer. Because if it’s really the crypto owners being considered here, they are doing just fine, thanks (or the ones lucky enough to choose an exchange that didn’t steal it all, anyway).

Despite the Biden-Harris administration being “very hostile” to crypto, according to Trump — “extremely hostile, like nobody can believe” — bitcoin has more than quadrupled in price since the 2020 election, reaching a record high earlier this year. The estimated value of the entire crypto market has almost sextupled. If it’s US jobs we’re talking about, industry figures show almost a third of the world’s crypto workforce is based in the US.

Crypto is also responsible for almost half of all corporate spending on the election so far, with the pro-crypto Fairshake super Pac having raised more than $200mn alone.

But while the fact that there is a huge amount of both crypto money and crypto rhetoric in this campaign is in no doubt, does either candidate really care? Let’s look at Harris’s own words. Until recently, there were none. But last Sunday at a Wall Street fundraiser, she finally said: “We will encourage innovative technologies like AI and digital assets, while protecting our consumers and investors.”

For all those getting excited about her sudden conversion — Stand With Crypto even graded her a B, for being “somewhat pro-crypto”, before downgrading after a backlash — let me make clear my own thoughts: Harris couldn’t give a flying Satoshi. She has promised nothing at all. Her comments were designed not to alienate the tech world by coming across as heavy-handed while keeping those who favour stronger regulation on side.

Trump has sold four collections of NFTs, and generously offers Americans the “chance to contribute to the campaign with cryptocurrency”. But if you think his interest goes beyond his own prospects, you too should brace for disappointment. He might be lauded by Coinbase’s chief policy officer for his “concrete and visionary positions” but he doesn’t seem to take the whole thing very seriously. “Have a good time with your bitcoin and your crypto, and everything else that you’re playing with,” he told July’s bitcoin 2024 conference.

Neither does Trump display much understanding — which, to be fair, he at least owns up to. At the launch of his and his sons’ latest foray into crypto, World Liberty Financial, he compared it to learning Chinese. What the company will do remains unclear.

Still, at least the venture’s “DeFi visionary” seems to get it. “Barron knows so much about this,” the former president said of his 18-year-old son. “He talks about his wallet. He’s got four wallets or something, but he knows this stuff.” Remember remember the fifth of November. Cluelessness, claptrap and grift.

jemima.kelly@ft.com

GOOGLE Flights have revealed a new tool that will refund your flight price difference if it gets cheaper before you travel.

The new feature offers travellers the lowest price guarantee when booking certain flights.

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Google announced: “No one likes to feel buyer’s remorse, and that’s especially true for a big purchase like plane tickets where the prices change from day to day.”

The new tool enables travellers to determine whether the price of their trip is low, high, or average for their planned trip.

Jetsetters can also set flexible dates to find the cheapest time to book.

Google is currently testing a new program that guarantees the cheapest option for your next flight.

However, if the price drops between the time of purchase and take-off, Google will pay the difference via Google Pay.

A Google blog post about the feature claimed: “These price guarantees are part of a pilot program available for select Book on Google itineraries departing from the US.”

Flights eligible for refunds through the app will be marked with price guarantee badges, indicating that Google is confident the price won’t drop further before take-off.

Therefore, travellers will be compensated for the difference through the Google Pay app if the price drops.

The refund policy will only apply to flights that are booked with Google and departing from the US.

Travellers should ensure there is a price guarantee badge before purchasing a ticket otherwise, they won’t be eligible for a refund if the price drops before takeoff.

It comes after a holiday booking expert has revealed the best way for passengers to save money when buying their flights.

Gilbert Ott is a frequent flyer and founder of the website God Save the Points, where he advises people on how to get the best deals on their plane tickets, as well as offering other tips and tricks.

As far as he’s concerned there are only really two days every year when passengers are guaranteed to find cheaper flight prices.

For the rest of the year, they have to use other methods to make sure they don’t overpay.

He told Mail Online that “Black Friday and Cyber Monday” were the closest thing holidaymakers would likely get to “a magical day to book travel”.

Instead, he recommends flying at certain times of the year to keep costs down, as well as getting to grips with online price trackers.

He continued: “To score the best flight deals, it’s often more about when you want to go than when you want to book, and setting price alerts to see when prices do change.

“Think about changing your travel plans to shoulder season months when airfare can be 43 per cent lower or better.

“Also, don’t be afraid to learn everything you can about Google Flights, so you can let the best deals you’ve searched for come to your inbox.”

He recommends setting price alerts as early as possible and relaxing while the price changes are emailed directly to you.

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The first cyber chief to fight an effort by the US Securities and Exchange Commission to hold him personally responsible for a massive Russian hack has called on global regulators to pass tougher cyber security laws.

Tim Brown, chief information security officer at SolarWinds, faced a landmark lawsuit that accused him and the company of misleading investors by not disclosing “known risks” and inaccurately representing the company’s security measures.

Speaking to the Financial Times in his first interview since the complaint was largely thrown out by a federal court in July, Brown warned that global cyber regulations are still “in flux”, which “absolutely adds stress across the globe” on cyber chiefs.

“When you don’t have rules to follow, it’s very hard to follow them,” said Brown. “Very few security people would ever do something that wasn’t right, but you just have to tell us what’s right in order to do it,” he added.

SolarWinds was a little known Austin-based IT supply chain company until it was breached by Russian hackers as part of a sprawling espionage campaign in 2020.

The SEC’s lawsuit came amid a push by the body to more aggressively target cyber risks under the tenure of chair Gary Gensler, as well as strong signals by itself and other authorities that individuals could be held liable for hacks.

Last year, Uber’s former chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, was sentenced by US authorities to three years of probation and fined $50,000 for covering up a data breach from 2016. It was the first criminal prosecution of a company executive over the handling of a data breach.

The SEC introduced new cyber rules last year around the disclosure of data breaches, as well as forcing public companies to outline elements of their cyber risk management processes, strategies, and governance in their annual reports.

Brown said he was hopeful that global cyber regulations were heading in the right direction. He said security professionals would benefit from a cyber equivalent of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed in 2002 after the Enron scandal.

“You have to remember, the cyber issues are 20 to 30 years old. Other regulatory issues are hundreds of years old . . . So we’re just kind of catching up on the maturity of that model,” he added.

The lawsuit, which cited internal communications between Brown and other employees at SolarWinds, has been seen as a watershed for the industry. Lawyers representing security professionals have warned it risked “chilling” cyber professionals’ internal efforts to improve company security out of fear that their comments could later be taken out of context and used against them.

District judge Paul Engelmayer ruled in July that the SEC’s attempt to apply accounting rules to cyber security processes was “not tenable”. He threw out most of the claims against SolarWinds and Brown, but upheld one claim of securities fraud based on a statement published by SolarWinds on its corporate website. 

A SolarWinds spokesperson said in a statement the company planned to fight the remaining charge, which they said was “factually inaccurate”. The SEC declined to comment.

Brown said the lawsuit, although personally uncomfortable, had helped to give corporate security professionals a voice at the executive level.

“It puts pressure on, but it’s also an inflection point,” he said. “It has elevated the [chief information security officer] position and made sure that boards are having these conversations.”

Brown this month joined the advisory board of Israeli crisis management firm Cytactic but said he was still committed to staying in his role at SolarWinds.

“As far as the incident at SolarWinds: It happened on my watch. Was I ultimately responsible? Well, no, but it happened on my watch and I want to get it right,” he said.

The company reported $193mn in revenue in the three months to June, down from $246mn in the same period in 2020, before the hack was disclosed. Shares have begun to recover from their lows in 2022, but are still down more than 40 per cent since the so-called Sunburst incident.