Laid-back lottery winners from Walsall claim their prize – a month late

But it was only when the National Lottery sent a fourth email that IT specialist James finally contacted the lottery helpline to discover the good news.

James said he received an email about the draw on August 3, but ignored it as he was busy.

"I was busy with work, including an international trip to a conference," he said.

"Then we had a holiday to Berlin to celebrate Sally’s birthday. There was home stuff to do, so it was only after seeing the fourth email when we got back from holiday that I actually got around to reading it."

The fourth email came on September 10, when James checked his emails while watching television.

"I didn’t say anything to Sally but decided I’d call the National Lottery line the next day and see if all these emails were true," he said.

“I called the following morning, still wondering whether it was real but, after chatting to various people and seeing everything on the app it finally dawned on me that it could actually be true.

"Having had the confirmation call with The National Lottery, I messaged Sally at work and said I had some news for her when she got back home.”

Sally, who works in fleet management, panicked when she saw read James's message.

She said: “I thought there was a problem. I couldn’t think of anything else until I got home. Then James told me, and I just kept on repeating, ‘you what?’, I was in total disbelief.”

The prize means the couple will received £10,000 every month for a year.

The couple are similarly relaxed about how they spend their winnings, with a new front door among their early priorities.

James said he and Sally had been looking at replacing their front door some time, but had been shocked by the prices.

"One quote was for nearly £5,000," he said.

"I did nothing about it because we were so busy and the prices were so dear, but now we can have a nice, bespoke front door.”

The couple used the first instalment of their winnings to pay off their car loan, and James has bought a luxury watch.

Their wish-list now includes a 'she shed' for Sally, a new laptop computer for James, and a holiday in Vancouver.

Sally said she was particularly keen on arts and crafts.

"I attend a weekly craft club and all my materials are littered across the house," she said.

"If I could have a room to myself, life would be so much easier, and I could be more creative. A special place for crafting would be a dream come true. Men have man caves, I want a ‘she shed’.”

In the longer term, the couple are looking at investing in property.

James and Sally met seven years ago while speed dating, and the win comes shortly after Sally's 40th birthday and the couple's fourth wedding anniversary.

James has played the Set For Life game since it began four years ago.

“I play Lotto and EuroMillions when there’s a big rollover, but I like Set For Life because I feel there’s always a good chance of winning – and I’m now winning proof of that.”

The game has a maximum prize of £10,000 a month for 30 years, if the winner matches the five numbers plus the 'Life Ball'.

Matching the five numbers without the Life Ball yields a prize of £10,000 a month for one year.

The winning Set For Life numbers for the draw on August 3 were 2, 11, 17, 30 and 38 and the Life Ball 3.