A COUPLE who spent four weeks ignoring emails from the National Lottery were stunned to discover they had scooped £120,000.
James Briggs, 42, and wife Sally, 40, waited a month to open the messages from Camelot before eventually learning they had banked the windfall.
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James said it was only after a fourth email from the lottery asking him to contact them that he finally called up – over a month after his winning numbers were drawn.
They now plan to spend some of their winnings on a “she shed” for Sally, a holiday, a laptop and a new front door.
The pair from Walsall, West Midlands, said they were still in shock after matching the five main numbers in the Set For Life draw on August 3.
James, a senior implementation specialist, said: “I buy my Set For Life tickets one month in advance via the National Lottery app.
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“I received an email about the draw on August 3 but ignored it as there was so much going on.
“I was busy with work, including an international trip to a conference. Then we had a holiday to Berlin to celebrate Sally’s birthday.
“There was home stuff to do, so it was only after seeing the fourth email when we got back from holiday that I actually got around to reading it.
“It was a Sunday night (10/9) and Sally and I were getting bits and bobs sorted before returning to work the next day.
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“I was checking my emails while watching the TV. I didn’t say anything to Sally but decided I’d call the National Lottery line the next day and see if all these emails were true.
“I called the following morning, still wondering whether it was real but, after chatting to various people and seeing everything on the app it finally dawned on me that it could actually be true.
“Having had the confirmation call with The National Lottery, I messaged Sally at work and said I had some news for her when she got back home.”
Sally, a fleet scheduler, said she panicked when she saw the message.
She added: “I thought there was a problem. I couldn’t think of anything else until I got home.
“Then James told me and I just kept on repeating, ‘you what?’, I was in total disbelief.”
The “laid back” couple have been thinking about how they want to spend the cash, but with their parents advice in mind – “enjoy yourselves, but wisely”.
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They have already paid off the car loan with their first instalment of their winnings while Sally has her eye on her own version of a “man cave”.
Sally added: “I love arts and crafts. I attend a weekly craft club and all my materials are littered across the house.
“If I could have a room to myself, life would be so much easier, and I could be more creative.
“A special place for crafting would be a dream come true. Men have man caves, I want a ‘she shed‘.”
Meanwhile, James has more modest aspirations of buying a new front door for their house.
He added: “We need a new front door and I was gobsmacked by how expensive they are.
“One quote was for nearly £5,000. I did nothing about it because we were so busy and the prices were so dear, but now we can have a nice, bespoke front door.”
But keen to also treat himself, James has bought a watch and also wants a new laptop.
The couple are also planning a trip to Vancouver and want to invest in property long term.
James and Sally met seven years ago while speed dating and said the win couldn’t have come at a better time for them.
Sally has just turned 40 and the couple have recently celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary.
James has played Set For Life since it began. He added: “I play Lotto and EuroMillions when there’s a big rollover, but I like Set For Life because I feel there’s always a good chance of winning and I’m now winning proof of that!”
The winning Set For Life numbers for the draw on Thursday, August 3 were 2, 11, 17, 30 and 38 and the Life Ball 3.
Set For Life costs £1.50 to play and offers a top prize of £10,000 a month for 30 years when the five main numbers and the Life Ball are matched.
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Players can win £10,000 a month for a whole year by matching the five main numbers.
All draw game prizes must be claimed within 180 days after the draw.
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