Elvis fan wins a hunk, a hunk of cash
A devoted Elvis fan from Northampton admits he was ‘All Shook Up’ when he discovered he had won almost £120,000 on a EuroMillions ticket.
Even better, Martin Gilbey, 50, won his £119,151.70 prize on Friday 8th January, the day the American star known as ‘The King’ would have celebrated his 86th birthday.
Martin, who works at a glass and window manufacturing company, said his wife, Tracy woke up with a sense that The King’s birthday was going to be lucky for her family. Martin seems to have a more ‘Suspicious Mind’ because he has yet to come to terms with his good fortune. He said, “I still can’t believe it, things like this don’t happen to people like me.”
His lucky day began in a rather mundane way: a trip to the shops to buy vegetables for the family’s Sunday roast. Deciding ‘It’s Now or Never’, he left the house in search of carrots. He said, “I got to the till but only had my debit card and the minimum purchase with a card was £3. I said to the lady at the counter, ‘shall I buy a Scratchcard or a Lottery ticket’. She said Lottery so I had a Lucky Dip for that night’s EuroMillions draw to take me over £3.
“I got home, and to be honest forgot about the ticket. After Tracy had gone to bed, I remembered and decided to check my numbers. I scanned the ticket using my National Lottery App and couldn’t believe what I saw.”
Martin called upstairs to Tracy who asked for ‘A Little Less Conversation’. She said, “I’m not coming downstairs for a tenner.” But when she realised the size of the win the couple started to “cry, cuddle and jump about.”
Martin called The National Lottery hotline at exactly 9am on Saturday morning to confirm his win. After that, he delivered the good news to family members via a Zoom call. He said, “I started the call by saying I had some great news. Initially, many thought it was a practical joke, but soon were all cheering together.”
What will Martin do with his prize? His first priority is helping his relations. He said, “I haven’t thought about buying anything, I just want to help my family. We’ve all had a tough year, and a little bit of help will make a big difference to them all.”
Further down the track Martin – a talented indoor cricketer who represented England on a tour of Australia in 1994 and played in the 1995 Indoor Cricket World Cup – has promised himself the sporting experience of lifetime. He hopes to take his son Jordan to Australia next year to watch the Ashes.
Martin added, “The rest will be for Tracy’s and my future.”
25th January 2021
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