Most people arrive back from their holidays nursing a hefty credit card bill – but not one lucky grandad who has arrived home a lottery winning millionaire.
Life will now be a beach for retired binman Steven Bennett after he hit the jackpot while enjoying a trip to his beloved Isle of Wight.
Steven, 72, has a lifetime of happy memories from time spent on the island, having holidayed there since childhood and while visiting his mum and dad ever since they moved there some 40 years ago. Now, the island has provided another amazing memory in the form of £1M EuroMillions win from the draw on 2 May with a ticket he bought somewhat by chance.
Steven, a widower from East London, said: “I sometimes buy a couple of Lucky Dips when I’m on the island but that really depends on the queue – if there is one then I won’t bother. I had mum’s shopping that Friday, so I had enough to carry without queuing, so when there was no one in front of me it felt a bit like it was my lucky day…I just didn’t realise how lucky until the following week!
“I’d forgotten about the ticket and found it in my back pocket on the Monday. I checked it with my phone and I thought it said I had won £10K. I turned my phone off and on and cleaned my glasses, as I couldn’t believe it and wanted to double-check, but this time it said I had won £1M.
“At that point it was very much a case of ‘Gordon Bennett!’ for Steven Bennett, and I promptly had a sit down and have a whiskey to calm down!”
Because Steven didn’t immediately remember exactly where he’d bought his winning ticket when he phoned the National Lottery Line to make his claim, he had to go through a series of security checks before his win could be fully confirmed.
But the pensioner used the slight delay to his advantage to surprise his family.
He added: “I like a little wind up of my family now and again and I didn’t tell them I was a millionaire straight away. Instead, I told them to come around for a BBQ back in East London a while later, where I was deliberately acting a bit ‘sus’. They knew something was up, so I told my daughter to come back the next day and I’d tell her what was going on.”
When his daughter Sally was told and later that day his sons, John and Tom along with the wider family – the seven grandchildren remained in the dark until they were told during a trip to the beach in the Isle of Wight last week – they were all in shock, over-the-moon and disbelieving all at the same time.
He added: “Family is everything. That’s why this win is for all of us, not just me. I’m in the process of buying a flat in Essex but I want to also get a place on the Isle of Wight. It’s a special place for all of us and, with a nice house on the island not far from the beach, we can make some really special memories all together.
“I’m also going to help out my daughter and two sons by helping to secure their properties, as much for the grandkids as for them.
“On the subject of the grandkids, it was priceless telling them on the beach – I’ll never forget the shock on their faces! Once they have taken it in, I can only imagine my shopping list from them! As for me, a nice Rolex might well be on the cards, but I also want to take my time and let my money earn a little bit of interest too.”
