A dad-of-three has pledged to buy his grandmother a new stairlift after betting £1.40 on
a spin in an online game and scooping £5.4m.
Michael Clark and his fiancée Sherelle
Pooley said they are "on cloud nine" after winning the biggest pay-out in Betfred's
56-year history.
Mr Clark, 32, said he is planning to buy his grandmother a stairlift
so she can stay in her home, and will be buying a new engagement ring for Miss Pooley,
27.
He said: "I just couldn’t believe that I’d actually won so much.
“We thought it
must have been a mistake at first, and then we started hugging each other when we
realised it was real. I just couldn’t stop crying, and there was no way I was going to
go to sleep that night having won such an enormous amount of money.
“Now we can easily
afford to get married and buy our forever home in the countryside. Six bedrooms will do
very nicely indeed."
The pair, who were born and brought up in Walker, in Newcastle,
are also planning to buy two season tickets for Newcastle United and a possible
honeymoon in Jamaica.
Michael Clark and Sherelle Poolley are thinking about having
their wedding reception at St James' Park and going on honeymoon to Jamaica. Credit:
Betfred
Mr Clark, who worked on minimum wage terms at a mental health unit, and Miss
Pooley, who also works as a carer for her grandmother, said they had already shared
some of their good fortune when they met a rough sleeper in Newcastle city centre near
the hotel they are now living in.
After getting chatting when he asked Mr Clark for a
cigarette, he paid for him to spend the night in a hotel.
Mr Clark said: “I absolutely
loved my job helping people in the mental health unit where there are people of all
ages, but the boss understood when I explained I would have to leave for a bit with all
this going on. Sherelle’s told her grandmother not to worry, she’ll still look after
her doing all the shopping and everything else.
“Season tickets for us both at
Newcastle United are definitely on our wish list, or maybe even a match day box for
we’re true Geordies and the team under Eddie Howe are doing very well at the
moment.
“We’ve been engaged for seven years, and we’ll be replacing Sherelle’s
engagement ring and getting something a lot more expensive than the £1,000 we spent in
2024. I might even buy myself a posh new watch. Everyone’s calling me ‘Micky Millions’
now!
“It would be brilliant to have our wedding reception at St. James’ Park. The
honeymoon will probably be in the Caribbean – maybe Jamaica – and we’ll be travelling
first class. Sherelle has never been on a plane so we're already sorting out a passport
for her."
Miss Pooley added: "I am just so happy for Michael, me and the whole family.
It's totally overwhelming. We are so lucky to have a new and better life ahead of
us."
Mr Clark said he was trying to come to terms with winning so much money.
He said:
"We are determined to stay grounded and not go too crazy… although we’re also
determined to enjoy life to the fullest.
“I’m getting a bit of a taste for champagne
now, but I still like a pint of dog which is what us Geordies call Newcastle
Brown.
“The kids think they’re on an adventure and like us just can’t get a grip on
what has happened.
"We’re just two very lucky people who were brought up on a council
estate and went to comprehensive school, but have always tried to be kind to others…
and now we are rich beyond our dreams.”
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