A £1Million Lotto win calls for a celebratory cup of tea
Two friends from Northampton are celebrating after winning a £1Million Lotto prize which they originally thought was £1000.
NHS worker Marion Wood, 60, and Michael Williams, 67, are each looking forward to enjoying a half share of the amazing prize they won in The National Lottery Lotto draw on Saturday 12th March 2022. The pals – who play regularly as a syndicate – matched 5 main numbers plus the Bonus Ball.
Marion works at Northampton General Hospital and Michael is a retired construction worker. Recounting the amazing moment they realised they’d won a big prize, Marion said, “I was on annual leave. It was the Tuesday after the Saturday draw. Michael was on his computer in the kitchen, I was in the lounge.
“I started to shout out the numbers on my ticket and he shouted ‘yes’, then ‘yes’’, then another ‘yes’ and then his voice changed – in fact he squeaked! There was another ‘yes’ and the final ‘yes’ was followed by a ‘Can you come here please?’”
Marion went to the kitchen and Michael showed her the computer screen. At first she thought the prize amount was just £1,000. She said, “I looked, looked again, Michael was going through the numbers one by one, and he kept on saying it’s a million, it’s a million…and I said ‘I don’t know what a million in numbers looks like?!’ ”
The pair sat in silence then made a cup of tea as they came to terms with their amazing windfall.
Marion said, “I’m a big tea drinker, so we had a cup of tea and sat in stunned silence as we absorbed what had just happened. I didn’t tell a soul at first, I just carried on as normal holding onto the lucky ticket wherever I went. I kept the ticket in my diary, which I keep in my purse, until the lady from Camelot visited to check it and confirmed that Michael and I really were big winners.
“Even now it still hasn’t completely sunk in, but seeing our names on the big cheque has definitely made it feel more real.”
Asked how they will celebrate Marion said, “I’m still unsure about what sort of celebration we’ll have but I am getting a taste for champagne having sipped a bit since the win.”
And further down the track? Marion said, “I want to carry on as normal for a bit. I’m from an army family and routine is important to me, so I think I’ll just let my head get around it first. I might treat myself to some jewellery, it will be nice to have something special to remember how I felt when I won.”
Michael, a father of 3, said, “I retired last year and haven’t had a car since 1981, so I think it’s time I get myself my own set of wheels. I’m also a big rugby fan and have followed Wales all my life, so I will get myself some rugby memorabilia. Finally, I’ll also treat my family. They’ve been good to me and it will be lovely to do something nice for them.”
29th March 2022
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