Five Figure Freedom
Last Updated: Wednesday 7th August 2013, 13:46
It doesn't take a multi-million lottery win to improve your life, and nobody knows this more than David Mitchell and his partner Karen, from Scunthorpe, who matched five main numbers and the bonus ball to scoop £118,908 on Saturday 3 March.
With the average weekly wage in the UK being around £23,000, the win of £118,908 equates to over five years pay for most people, so it's easy to imagine the kind of freedom that such a win can bring. And freedom is the key word as far as David and Karen are concerned because they intend to use some of their winnings to buy a new caravan in Skegness. They also plan to purchase a new car and pay off their mortgage.
The couple matched the five numbers and bonus ball with an extra Lucky Dip line on their ticket - a line that David added on the spur of the moment.
"It was on a complete whim that I decided to add an extra Lucky Dip on our weekly Lotto ticket," David said after the win. "When the numbers were drawn on Saturday night we just couldn't believe it. Karen is over the moon. We still can't really believe this has happened, it's like a dream."
He continued: "This really is an unexpected windfall and means we can do some of the things we have talked about for ages.
Karen is equally excited about what the win means for their future. "We already have a standing caravan at Ingoldmells but have always wanted to upgrade it," she said. "After this fantastic win we can now look forward to buying our dream caravan and spending summers there with our children and our five grandchildren."
Whilst the odds of winning a Lotto jackpot are just 1 in 13,983,816, the odds of matching five numbers and the bonus ball are a much better 1 in 2,330,636. And, as David and Karen would probably be more than happy to tell you, a second tier prize can be just as sweet should you happen to win one!
