A COUPLE who won more than £1 million on the Pools - after scraping together 80p from dole money - are being sought to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their mega win.
Tommy and Elaine McDonagh, who lived in Cross Roads near Keighley, scooped the £1,010,172.40 win on Littlewoods Football Pools in October, 1987.
The life-changing win came after jobless Tommy used 80p from the remains of his dole money to buy two extra lines on his wife’s pools coupon.
The couple, who had three children, were living on £90 a week in benefits.
Tommy and Elaine McDonagh with their Littlewoods Pools cheque in 1987
They used some of their jackpot to have the honeymoon they’d never had, and they planned to swap their seven year-old Datsun for a BMW.
Elaine said at the time that although the fortune would change the family’s lives, she was determined to continue with her business studies course at Keighley College.
The couple said: “We are still the same people. Folk seem genuinely pleased for us and we are still treated as normal.”
How the T&A reported the couple's win in October, 1987 (Image: Newsquest)
The T&A reported that one of their first luxuries was a trip to Disneyland and their children were given treats - the two girls wanting new shoes and their son a radio-controlled car.
In 2004, the T&A ran an appeal for the couple to join other big winners at a celebration for the 80th anniversary of the football pools.
Now the Pools want to trace Tommy and Elaine to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their win next year.
Jessica Thomas, Brand Communications Manager at The Pools, said: “One of the first things Tommy and Elaine were able to do was enjoy the honeymoon they’d never had, having married when Elaine was just 16.
"At the time, the couple were living in a three-bedroom terraced house, getting by on £90 a week in unemployment benefits.
"They also spoke about replacing their car and Elaine learning to drive and continuing her business studies to help them manage their newfound wealth.
"We’d love to find out how those plans unfolded and what happened in the years that followed.”
Their win was one of the largest at the time.
A year earlier, 11 colleagues at a hospital in Wiltshire had become the first Pools millionaires, sharing a jackpot of £1,017,890.
Says Jessica: “We’d love to reconnect with Tommy and Elaine, but unfortunately we don’t know of their whereabouts today.
"If they’re reading this, or if anyone knows them or remembers their win, we’d encourage them to get in touch at info@thepools.com.
"It would be wonderful to hear their recollections and find out how life changed for them after that extraordinary day in 1987.
“Tommy and Elaine’s win is one of the many remarkable stories in The Pools’ history, we’re using the anniversary as an opportunity to revisit some memorable moments from down the years.”