New home for Christmas for Essex EuroMillions winner

Iain Cockburn, 50, who is a laundry operative said, “As soon as the win was verified we started looking for a bungalow. We’ve already found the perfect one and had our offer accepted so the three of us will be able to leave rented accommodation behind and move into our dream home. While we won’t be in before Christmas, it’s certainly the best Christmas present we could ever have hoped for.

Iain who is an avid collector of military books bought his ticket at the local newsagents when he was on the way home from work. Putting the ticket safely on a shelf in the kitchen, he settled down to a quiet Friday night in with his mum and brother at the home they share in Clacton–on–Sea. It wasn’t until the following morning that Iain discovered he had won one of the two UK Millionaire Maker prizes from the EuroMillions draw.

“I’m a man of habit, so usually buy my tickets at the local newsagents and also have them checked there too. On Saturday this is exactly what I did but unlike the times when they say, ‘nothing on that’ or ‘congratulations, you’ve got a small win’, this time they checked my ticket and started whispering rather urgently before looking up, grinning and said ‘I think you have won £1 million!”

Iain managed to remain calm and merely looked at the code on the shop’s lottery machine to verify that it did match before heading home to break the news to his family and call Camelot.

“I think I must have still been in shock – probably still am in fact! When I went home and told mum I had won the lottery it felt very strange, as though it was meant to be, and I’ve managed to keep calm ever since.”

While Iain has been very relaxed about winning the life changing £1million, he is overjoyed about buying his own home.

“The safety and security of owning a home, and one where mum doesn’t need to tackle stairs, is just amazing for our family. The new home will also bring plenty of joy for my brother and I because we will finally be able to fulfil a lifelong wish and create a purpose built library. I can’t wait, it’s a dream come true to be able to display our extensive book collection in the manner it deserves.”

Iain, who doesn’t drive but loves to travel, also has plans to explore a bit more of the UK. “I’ve already done quite a lot of international travelling around the globe but there are now some corners of the UK I’d like to explore a bit more. Hopefully, mum will be able to join me on a few trips; we are particularly keen to visit more of the fabulous historic sites around the country.”

Iain’s winning UK Millionaire Maker code was VBHQ70012. For every EuroMillions line played, UK players also automatically receive a Millionaire Maker entry, and every week Millionaire Maker guarantees to create four UK millionaires – two on Tuesday and two on Friday.