Video: Bookie hands over big cheque to Marie Curie charity

Bookmakers aren’t renowned for enjoying paying out, but the smile on the face of Gregory Hughes was a warm and genuine one as he handed Pat O’Kane a cheque for £850.
By Kevin Hughes
Published 7th Apr 2015, 11:26 BST
Gregory Hughes of Hughes Bookmakers Dungannon pictured as he hands over a cheque for £850 to Pat O'Kane representing Marie Curie Cancer Care. Included in the picture are Kevin Hughes (Head of Sport at the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times) and Seamus Donnelly (Sports Reporter). The money is proceeds from the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times Cheltenham charity bets.INTT1415-332Gregory Hughes of Hughes Bookmakers Dungannon pictured as he hands over a cheque for £850 to Pat O'Kane representing Marie Curie Cancer Care. Included in the picture are Kevin Hughes (Head of Sport at the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times) and Seamus Donnelly (Sports Reporter). The money is proceeds from the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times Cheltenham charity bets.INTT1415-332
Gregory Hughes of Hughes Bookmakers Dungannon pictured as he hands over a cheque for £850 to Pat O'Kane representing Marie Curie Cancer Care. Included in the picture are Kevin Hughes (Head of Sport at the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times) and Seamus Donnelly (Sports Reporter). The money is proceeds from the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times Cheltenham charity bets.INTT1415-332

Well-known Dungannon man Pat was accepting the money on behalf of Marie Curie Cancer Care and it was the proceeds of the £50 per day charity bet kindly granted by Hughes to the Tyrone Times and Mid-Ulster Mail as part of his annual promotions for the Cheltenham Festival.

On two of the four days of the March racing extravaganza, Seamus Donnelly and Kevin Hughes put their heads together and came up with two winners - The Druids Nephew at 8/1 and Call The Cops at 9/1, thus the winnings of £850, for which O’Kane expressed his sincere gratitude.

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Not only that, there might even be a further windfall for them because the bookie who operates two betting shops in both Dungannon and Coalisland has given us another £50 free bet for the Grand National on Saturday.

Gregory Hughes of Hughes Bookmakers Dungannon pictured as he hands over a cheque for £850 to Pat O'Kane representing Marie Curie Cancer Care. Included in the picture are Kevin Hughes (Head of Sport at the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times) and Seamus Donnelly (Sports Reporter). The money is proceeds from the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times Cheltenham charity bets.INTT1415-332Gregory Hughes of Hughes Bookmakers Dungannon pictured as he hands over a cheque for £850 to Pat O'Kane representing Marie Curie Cancer Care. Included in the picture are Kevin Hughes (Head of Sport at the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times) and Seamus Donnelly (Sports Reporter). The money is proceeds from the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times Cheltenham charity bets.INTT1415-332
Gregory Hughes of Hughes Bookmakers Dungannon pictured as he hands over a cheque for £850 to Pat O'Kane representing Marie Curie Cancer Care. Included in the picture are Kevin Hughes (Head of Sport at the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times) and Seamus Donnelly (Sports Reporter). The money is proceeds from the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times Cheltenham charity bets.INTT1415-332

Hughes, who is paying out on the first five places in the big race and has a special price of 66-1 for the double of Tony McCoy to win the National and Rory McIlroy to become US Masters golf champion, will have to fork out at least another £700 to the charity if The Druids Nephew is first past the post at Aintree!

Related topics:Marie Curie