A quick word!

We looked for holidays, dreaming of sipping cocktails by the pool

As my partner Collette, 42, got off the sofa, I glanced at my watch. It was 10pm, and earlier I’d fancied playing a spot of bingo before bed.

That evening, I’d opted for Sapphire Bingo. It was a Link game, a specialevent bingo game that offers the chance to win an even bigger Full House as all players from the connected rooms are playing together. Tonight, that was £1,500.

Sapphire Bingo is my favourite game, so I decided to buy 24 tickets.

‘I’ll watch this last game,’ I said to Collette, as she headed upstairs.

Just as I got up, I saw one of my numbers come up. Then more numbers flash up on my phone.

I was four away from a Full House. Suddenly another number appeared, and another, and then… ‘I’ve won!’ I yelled. Collette came to the top of the stairs, toothbrush in hand. ‘No, you haven’t,’ she scoffed. It was my own fault that she didn’t believe me. Since I’d signed up to the Pick Me Up! Bingo site back in August 2013, I was always telling Collette about all the jackpot winners.

True, over the years, I’d won a few hundred pounds myself. But this was my biggest win so far! I thrust my phone at her. ‘You’re really not kidding!’ Now we were both too excited to sleep.

‘Let’s look for holidays!’ I said. ‘Think of the fabulous trip we could have with that!’

We spent the next couple of hours browsing travel agents’ websites, dreaming of sipping cocktails by the pool.

And when the money dropped into my bank account a week later, I took Collette out for a slap-up steak dinner.

I put a little bit of money aside for me, too. And I booked some driving lessons.

Collette and I still haven’t picked a holiday destination. But I’ve used some of the cash to renew my passport, so when we decide, the world is my oyster!

Thank you so much, Pick Me Up! Bingo.