Christmas has come early for a couple from Canterbury after they scooped £100,000 on the Health Lottery.
Falklands veteran Roy Cornelius and his partner Fran Gillespie say they are “over the moon” with the timely present but are adamant they will not waste their good fortune.
The couple, who have been together for 15 years and live in Wick Lane, Barham, struck lucky after buying five quick picks instead of their usual three – and it was the fifth ticket which landed their big win.
Roy, 75, an ex-submarine signaller who later worked for P&O, explained that when he first realised they had won a huge payout, he waited until Fran got home from work to announce the good news.
He said: “When I told her we’d won the lottery, she thought I meant £10 or something, but when I said it was £100,000, she simply couldn’t believe it.”
Fran, 63, a healthcare worker, added: “We just felt completely numb, only now is it beginning to sink in. But we are not going to rush into anything and will just go with the flow. We are not the sort of people to blow it but we will be sharing the money with our families.
“We used to play the National Lottery but switched to The Health Lottery because we aren’t getting any younger and we want to help support health causes.”