‘I always knew I would win big’ says
80-year-old after £4m Lottery joy

Thomas Foden, 80, and his 60-year-old daughter, Irene Harper, won £3,909,990 with a shared Lotto ticket in the UK’s first quadruple rollover draw on September 29.

It was a weekend to remember for Mrs Harper – she celebrated her 39th wedding anniversary with husband Barry on the same date, the day before her 60th birthday.

The identities of the father and daughter, both from Tipton in the West Midlands, were revealed at a press conference at The Mount Hotel in Wolverhampton yesterday morning, where Mr Foden said he knew he would be a winner one day.

“I always said we’d have a big win and it’s a surprise now it’s actually come,” he said.

“It’s nice to think we’ve got money now and can do what we want with it.”

He said the win was still sinking in and the only thing they knew they would definitely do with the money was look after the wider family.

Mr Foden, who has worked in the building trade for most of his life, has four grandchildren and he described them as the “best grandchildren you can have”.

He added: “I’ve always said I wanted my grandchildren to be all right and now that’s made my life.”

Mrs Harper, who works as a full-time carer for her husband, said the money would make a huge difference to her two sons and their family.

Taking a moment to compose herself as she fought back tears, she joked: “I am happy really.”

She went on: “It’s just that I know now that my sons are going to be okay, and that’s just the main thing.

“It’s just a bit unreal really, it’s a bit hard to take in. I think it’s sinking in now we’ve seen the cheque and everything.”

The family will think about a holiday next, she added, before deciding what to do in the future.

Mrs Harper bought the lucky dip ticket at a Costcutter store, a shop she had never used before but decided to try because they had just got a new lottery machine.

She and her father have been playing the lottery since it started in 1994 and have won £10 occasionally.

Mrs Harper said she did not watch the National Lottery show as normal at the weekend and only looked at Teletext an hour or so later.

When she did she thought she had five numbers and had to call her son Simon who double-checked on his computer and then ran downstairs to tell her she had all six.

“I immediately called my father to tell him the good news and then my sister and then my other son Carl.

“No one slept that night, plus in amongst all of this it was my birthday the next day, and we were all going to see Carl.

“We carried on with the celebrations and then called the National Lottery Hotline from our hotel room in Liverpool on Monday to make the claim.

“I just can’t believe it.”

Mr Foden said he thought his family were winding him up when he received the call to tell him about the win.

“I thought they were pulling my leg,” he said.

Mrs Harper kept the winning ticket in a new purse she received as a Mother’s Day gift.

The pair said they might think about moving house in the future even though it is “early days” and were just trying to let the news sink in.

Mrs Harper added: “We’ve just had an amazing weekend of celebration topped off with the lottery win.

“Our feet haven’t touched the ground but I’m sure we’ll arrange something soon.”