Sharon finally manages to swipe her phone to land a fantastic €200,000 on Today FM
Sharon Pender
A TULLOW woman has just become the winner of one of the biggest cash prizes ever on Irish radio – a whopping €200,000.
An elated Sharon Pender from Phelim Wood, Tullow scooped the massive #CashMachine on Today FM’s last Friday afternoon, much to the delighted on her family, friends and everyone who knows Sharon.
“I’m just shocked still,” she told “I thought my phone was going to blow up in the minutes after it was announced … I’d 305 messages within 20 minutes,” she laughed.
Sharon explained that she is a regular listener to Today FM and regularly enters Cash Machine, especially when the totals get high. She runs her own hairdressing business from her home, so when the call from Today FM came it really was touch and go that Sharon would answer on time!
“I was in the middle of blowing a lady’s hair when the phone went off in my pocket, I knew that it was around the time they’d be making the call. I wouldn’t normally answer the phone, but then I saw the unknown number … my hands were wet and the phone just wouldn’t swipe,” she explained.
“You have to answer the call within five rings and I kept trying, it was at four-and-a-half ringing when I finally answered … it was crazy,” said a relieved Sharon.
“I was in absolute shock ... I could barely talk”.
Sharon (née Doyle) is married to Donal and the couple have two children – James (11) and Lily (7). Just how they are going to spend their windfall, they’re all still deciding.
“Oh, we’ve changed our minds about how to spend it about 50 times since Friday,” says Sharon. “Sometimes we think of paying off the mortgage, then we think why not have a bit of fun with it. We were 15 years married last week and we said we’d go away with the kids so maybe instead of going somewhere in Ireland we’ll go on a cruise or Disneyland”. Sharon says she’s not normally lucky but funnily enough she won a hamper in a Tullow Day Care Centre draw last week, so maybe her luck is in!
