AN 83-YEAR-OLD man who won more than £7,000 in a hospice lottery says he will give the majority of his winnings back to charities and his only treat will be a new overcoat.

Charles Leighton, of Cherry Tree, Blackburn, has already made a donation back to the hospice after he won the weekly draw, which had rolled over several times in January He has pledged to donate the majority of his £7,250 windfall to charities close to his heart.

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Mr Leighton, former draughtsman, said that he had always been careful with money, and his recent win would not change that.

He said: “It came out of the blue. I needed my eyes doing and was considering going private, but I’ve already accounted for that.

“I’ve always been sensible with money, and I still am.

“The majority of the prize will go to a couple of charities I support and I’ve already given the hospice a donation.”

He added that the only thing he needs is a new coat: “My old one’s looking a bit ragged, so I’ll probably get a new one.

“It’s very important to support things like the hospice, especially with it being so local.

“I didn’t join the lottery to win, but it was a nice surprise.”

He described the moment he found out he’d won as a ‘pleasant shock’.

The retired team leader worked all his career for Leyland Motors where he met his wife who was a shorthand typist.

The pair married when Charles was 41, but his wife died about five years ago after suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.