AN ordinary couple who won £21m on the lottery celebrated by buying some new pots.
David Stickley remembered lots of “funny breathing down the phone” when his partner Donna phoned him during his shift to say that she thought they had won some money.
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Donna, who held on to her day job despite the win, said: “Everyone thought I’d stop working but I’m happy to remain a useful member of the team.”
Donna was “all in a tizz” after she had been told to contact Camelot by the shop where she bought the National Lottery ticket.
Donna had been online and thought they couple may have won £2m, but factory worker David told her that “things like this don’t happen to people like us.”
Donna then realised that she had made a mistake, and that the couple had not won £2m, but a staggering £21m.
Donna said she needed some new pots and David said that was fine. The couple then decided to get married, have a beach holiday and buy a new car.
Although Donna decided to keep her job despite the mega National Lottery win, David took early retirement from the factory so he could concentrate on his model aircraft collection.
The couple, from Slough, later got married and moved to a bigger house.
The couple also vowed to ensure David’s mother and Donna’s father were looked after as a priority, who were in poor health at the time.
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David said: “As you would expect, some things have had to be put to one side while we take time to look after our elderly mum and dad.
“We’ve always said to them whatever care they need we will find the money, so this makes the situation even more manageable.”
Donna told her local paper how the couple used the lottery windfall cash to enjoy a better quality of life and help others.
David, who served in the army for 16 years, donated a tractor style lawnmower to a local veterans’ charity.
“We know we are so fortunate and still can’t believe our luck. I have to pinch myself sometimes.
“Since our win we have been able to enjoy the typical lottery winner moments – moving to a dream home, upgrading our cars and enjoying some lovely holidays.
“But without doubt the best part of the win is being able to help where we can, whether that’s paying for an operation or a trip away for a friend who needed a break or, as with Veterans’ Growth, the donation of the ride-on lawnmower.”
Speaking after the big win in 2018 David recalled the famous night their numbers came up.
He said: “Not knowing what to do as I was in the middle of a shift, I called and told her to put it somewhere safe so we could deal with it later.
“I suggested maybe she could go shopping or do something to
take her mind off it – she was all over the place and I thought it may distract her until I finished work and we could decide what to do next. The rest is history.”
Couple Debbie and Joseph Goolding won £1million on a National Lottery scratchcard in 2020. Josh decided to use the cash to upgrade his underpants to Calvin Kleins.
The couple also told The Sun how the win cost them some friendships, but that they did not care.
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