A Buckie woman has described the moment she landed not one, but two, huge cash prizes in the same night.
Barbara Cormack won almost £40,000 in two different competitions on the same day.
Mrs Cormack was at the bingo with her husband when she got the first call from Bounty Competitions, announcing that she had won the choice of a Land Rover Discovery or £30,000 in cash, as well as £300 Amazon vouchers.
Still reeling from the big win, she returned to her bingo – scooping up more than £7,000 in £1 Link game.
‘We are quite lucky’
Mrs Cormack, 66, described herself as “quite lucky” but admitted Saturday was “unbelievable”
She said: “My husband Charlie and I went as normal to our local bingo on Saturday. We go two or three times a week, it is just five minutes along the road.
“It is great fun and we have lots of friends there.
“We are quite lucky. The most I have ever won before is £1,000.”
After playing bingo for the first half of her night at Carlton Bingo, Mrs Cormack noticed that her mobile phone was ringing and vibrating from a number she did not recognise.
She said: “I said to Charlie my husband are we waiting on a delivery? The number stopped and then kept ringing back.
“Charlie took over marking my card and I stepped outside to answer it. I thought it was going to be a scam.
“It was Bounty Competitions to say I had won £300 in Amazon vouchers. I was thrilled to bits. They asked me what the most I had ever won on the bingo.
“Then they said ‘have you ever won a Land Rover Discovery or £30,000 in cash?’
“I said ‘no’, and they said ‘well you have now’. ”
She said that for a 99p entry, she had won the vouchers and the star prize as well.
“I could not believe it,” she continued.
“They asked me what I would like to have, and I chose the cash.”
The couple have a two-year-old car they love, a Peugeot 3008, so decided the cash would be better for them – particularly as they are currently doing some work to their home.
“At the time when I won, I really just did not know what to think, I could not take it in,” Mrs Cormack said. “I went back and told my husband and I told the people on the next table – they were all congratulating us.
“Just before the bingo started up again we played one of the £1 live games on the table. It is the one where you link up with all the bingo halls over the country.
‘What are the chances?’
“I wasn’t really paying attention, I was not concentrating as I was thinking about my win from before.”
She continued: “I was down to two numbers, which is quite remarkable, but I was still thinking about the other win. That’s when the last number came out – and I won £7,688.
“What are the chances of that?”
She said: “People in the hall then started getting notifications that I had won the Bounty prize as well and they were all saying it was unbelievable. And it was, I could not take it in.
“In a matter of minutes I had won nearly £40,000.”
Mrs Cormack has stayed on after retirement age to keep a outreach post office open at Portgordon Bowling Club three mornings a week.
She says she loves her job as it allows her to get out to meet people, as well as serving the community.
Asked what she would spend the money on, she said: “Good question.
“I think my boys – Terry, Neall and Fraser – would have preferred the car.
“I would love to have my wet room upgraded, but we will see.”
Conversation