pounds 150,000; Lucky grandmother celebrates her mammoth bingo bonanza.

Byline: By HELEN RAE

A MUM-of-four is celebrating a fantastic start to the New Year by scooping pounds 150,000 at her favourite bingo hall.

Caroline Henzell, from Walker, Newcastle, won pounds 150,000 at Mecca Bingo in Gateshead on Sunday.

The windfall was part of a pounds 1m giveaway in free games that took place throughout the country.

The 45-year-old couldn't believe her numbers had come up as she has only been working for a month and feels she's been doubly lucky.

The Driving Standards Agency employee said: "I knew I was going to win a biggie and consider myself a lucky person and did just have a little inkling that it could be me on the day.

"Mind you, when I first realised I'd won, I thought it was only pounds 5,000, so you can imagine the shock when people told me I'd won pounds 150,000.

"I was totally shaking and was so excited. To say I'm overjoyed is a complete understatement, it's just brilliant news and an amazing start to the year - let's just hope my luck continues.

"I'm going on holiday to Benidorm this year so some of the money will go towards that and my husband also wants to upgrade his car too."

Caroline, a grandmother-of-three, also plans to share the money equally with her daughter, Caroline Allan, 25, who attends Mecca Gateshead with her mother every Sunday.

But she said there will also be other treats for husband Leslie, who is unemployed, and her three other children Lesley Allan, 23, Anthony Allan, 18, and Ryan Richardson, 15.

Mark Dadson, manager of Mecca Gateshead, said: "The atmosphere in the club was electric and the best I've experienced in 11 years in this industry. We are delighted that through the Mecca Millionaire game we are able to give people real life changing amounts of money.

"I am sure Caroline will agree that Mecca really does put on the best game in town."

Caroline's win was part of the Mecca Millionaire game, launched on September 1 last year, which saw Britain's first ever million pound giveaway by a high street bingo operator.

The game was possible after new gambling laws were introduced in the UK, giving bingo operators the ability to retain a percentage of the player's stake and give away huge accumulated jackpot winnings.

A total of pounds 3.5m has changed the lives of 16 Mecca Millionaire players since September, with nearly pounds 6m in jackpot payouts across the UK bingo industry.

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FULL HOUSE: Caroline Henzell had a feeling she would win a big one at the Mecca in Gateshead