A retired couple are celebrating winning more than £100,000 on the Euromillions after the husband bought a Lucky Dip because he had forgotten to take his glasses to the shop.
Denis Fawsitt, 80, from Hatton, Derbyshire, who normally uses family birthdays for his weekly numbers, was forced to rely on the random selection when he realised he had left his spectacles at home and could not see the play slip properly.
But his lucky piece of forgetfulness paid off when he scooped £116,124 by matching five numbers and one Lucky Star number in the draw on March 16.
The former builder and coal miner and his wife Ann, 75, who have two daughters, Sally and Sharon, two grandsons and a granddaughter, are now planning to treat themselves to a house and garden makeover following their fortunate win.
Denis Fawsitt, 80, and his wife Ann, 75, from Hatton, Derbyshire, scooped £116,124 by matching five numbers and one Lucky Star number in the draw on March 16
The retired couple, who have two daughters, Sally and Sharon, two grandsons and a granddaughter, are now planning to treat themselves to a house and garden makeover
Mr Fawsitt said: ‘I realised I had forgotten my glasses and tried to pick my numbers, but I just couldn’t.
‘I went to pay for my papers and asked the lady behind the counter for a Lucky Dip. It turned out to be one of my best decisions ever.
‘After what happened in the newsagent, I had this funny feeling we were going to win.
‘I said to my wife Ann that evening that I felt we were going to win big.’
The next morning Mr Fawsitt went to get his daily newspapers and asked staff to check his ticket when he was told to call Camelot.
The father-of-two called his daughter Sally in disbelief as soon as he got home, asking her to check the ticket for him.
Mr Fawsitt continued: ‘I always go early for my papers, around 7.15am.
‘When I called Sally she thought I was being silly and had probably got things mixed up, especially as I told her I had forgotten my glasses.
‘But I was right, I had won but because it was still only 7.30am we had to wait until The National Lottery hotline opened at 9am to call and check.
‘Sally went to work and explained to her boss that she needed to pop back for a family emergency at 9am.
‘She came back as planned, called The National Lottery people and we all went into shock upon hearing the news.’
The retired couple, who play the EuroMillions every week and buy their tickets from The Co-operative in Station Road, Hatton, now hope that they will be able to tend to their garden with their big win.
Mr Fawsitt said: ‘I hurt my back a few years ago so I haven’t been able to tend to my garden as much as I would have liked.
The lucky couple play the EuroMillions every week and buy their tickets from The Co-operative in Station Road, Hatton
Mr Fawsitt was forced to rely on the random selection when he realised he had left his spectacles at home
‘With a bit of landscaping, Ann and I can enjoy our garden even more, especially as the summer is not too far away.
‘I still play every week and even though I won without my glasses I make sure I take them now as I am back to playing with family birthday dates.’
Mrs Fawsitt, who used to work at KP Snacks in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, said there was no dancing around the house or champagne popping when they learnt of their win.
She joked: ‘Not at our age, especially with Denis’ bad back. Denis had a drop of whisky and I had a small sherry.
‘We then put the lucky winning ticket in the living room cabinet for safekeeping before the people from The National Lottery were able to validate the ticket.
‘When the win was confirmed, we did have a glass or two of fizz, and when this horrible Covid has gone away and it’s safe we’ll have a big family party to celebrate.’
Mrs Fawsitt said there was no dancing around the house or champagne popping when they learnt of their win
In the meantime, the couple are planning a house and garden makeover and Mrs Fawsitt wants to decorate and refresh many of their rooms.
She added: ‘This win means that we now don’t have to worry about money.
‘We can treat ourselves to a few nice things but, mostly importantly, give a lot to the family.
‘We’ve had our time, it’s theirs now*this money will help them more than us.’
The winning EuroMillions numbers for the draw on March 16 were 23, 25, 32, 35, 47 and the two Lucky Stars numbers were 2 and 6.