LOTTERY winner Mark Fielden has been able to have anything he wants for Christmas since he scooped more than £1 million eight years ago.

But all the self-confessed "hillbilly" wants from Santa this year is a new battery for his beloved tractor.

Mark, 55, and his wife Jean, 64, stayed in their house in Burnley Road, Todmorden, but gave up work after their National Lottery win and now spend as much time as possible with their menagerie of hens, geese, cockatiels, zebra finches, doves and quails, as well as their two dogs.

But Mark's latest project, restoring the Massey Ferguson tractor, is proving more difficult, because he needs a rare type of six-volt battery to get it going. He said: "As daft as it sounds, that's what I really want.

"We could spend loads of money on something big and extravagant, but the battery would be really useful because it would get me well on my way to getting the tractor up and running.

"I'm a bit of a hillbilly - my grandfather was a farmer so this is just something in my blood.

"If I can't have my battery, you can't beat a surprise at Christmas - if you don't know what you're going to get it's great."

After treating the family to a holiday in Singapore and Bali just after their win, and going on a round-the-world trip, the couple are not living an extravagant lifestyle, but Mark, a lifelong Clarets fan and former textile engineer, said the money had made things a lot easier.

They now buy a new car every three years, are regular travellers to Spain, and will never have to go to work again. They still play the lottery, but have won no more than £10 since.

Jean will be cooking Christmas dinner for the whole family, including their children David and Michaela, their five grandchildren and their great-grandson, but Mark said the festive season had always been much more relaxed since the win.

He said: "Last year we went to Australia for a month over Christmas - it was all right, but it wasn't the same as being at home with the family.

"Before we won, we had to save nearly half the year for Christmas and actually, now that we know we can have anything we want, it takes the edge of things a bit.

"We're just down-to-earth people, really - once you've got over the initial euphoria you go back to being ordinary, but when I think about it, it still sends me back to Cloud Nine now and again.

"We have never been stupid with the money - it's got to last for our retirement and we want to be able to leave some for the kids.

"They say we should get more of it spent, but I'm frightened to death of going through it all, even though it is nice just to be able to go out and buy anything you need, especially at Christmas."