By Becky Turner on Wednesday, 2 Aug 2006 Two ex-miners from Wales have scored a massive £11 million on the National Lottery.
John Ackerman told the Mirror that he thought he might have won £50 on the lottery, because he recognised a few of the numbers.
When he got to Woolworths to claim his prize, he was told by the woman behind the counter: "It's not £50, it's a bit bigger…"
Mr Ackerman discovered that he had won the rollover jackpot of £11 million, which he shares with fellow miner and best friend John Stinchcombe.
The pair fell on hard times during the mine strike of 1984 but now they will never have to work again.
"Money has been tight and I still can't believe this has happened," Mr Stinchcombe said. "We've had our bad times and we've struggled. Now we will never have to worry about money again."
However, they are not going to allow the win to go to their heads.
"We're just common working men and we aren't going to suddenly start drinking champagne every night," Mr Stinchcombe added.
The pair's lucky numbers are based on birthdays and anniversaries. Their previous best win before this was £70.
Mr Ackerman was nagged by his wife Pearl to buy a ticket for the midweek draw because it was a rollover. "It was the best bit of nagging I've ever had," he said.
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