PAIN IN THE GLASS
I won £11million on the lottery but now I’m back working a normal job after buying football club
A GLAZIER who won £11million on the Lottery nearly 30 years ago is back on the road at work — and loving it.
Mark Gardiner, 61, nearly blew all his winnings but says he keeps sane by driving around in his van for the business he owns.
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He and then-business partner Paul Maddison split their £22,590,829 jackpot in 1995.
But a series of bad investments saw him lose millions.
He also vowed to never marry again after splitting from fourth wife Brenda in 2004.
However, he sensibly piled £2million of his winnings into his company Croft Glass.
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As well as the day-to-day running, he also does the measuring up, surveying and putting in orders.
Mark, of St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, said: “Don’t get me wrong, if I won the lottery now at 61 — I’d have done so many different things. I’d have stopped work.”
But he said becoming more involved in his business as his personal wealth dwindled has kept him grounded.
He went on: “I decided to invest money into it. I wanted to see if I had the ability, the skill and the knowledge to take it further. It was like a test and I have passed.”
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He says he occasionally skives off, but adds: “I don’t worry that if I take the day off I won’t be able to pay my staff’s wages.”
Mark also owns a football club in Hastings and a home in Barbados.
But he still plays the lottery, with the same numbers from 1995, in the hope of a top-up win.
Mark claims ex-pal Paul is a Jehovah’s Witness living in Scotland but would not say whether they are speaking.
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