Martin didn’t know he was a millionaire for a MONTH
A groundsman from Sudbury only discovered he was a winner after reading an article in his local paper about a missing millionaire. He is now celebrating with a EuroMillions prize of £1M.
Martin Crighton, 46, was a millionaire for a MONTH before he finally got his hands on his giant cheque. The groundsman from Suffolk only discovered he was a National Lottery winner after it was publicised there was a missing millionaire in the area where he lives.
Martin said, “I was sat relaxing reading my local paper when I came across an article about a National Lottery winner who had not come forward to claim their prize.
“It jogged my memory. I always play the lottery and it occurred to me that maybe I hadn’t checked all of my tickets. When I got home that evening I started to check in drawers and everywhere I normally put my tickets for safe-keeping.
“I was checking my wallet and at the back, tucked among receipts and business cards, I found a ticket which hadn’t been checked. I looked in the paper and the code matched. I just thought this cannot be true.”
Complete disbelief
Martin just could not believe it was true so went down to his local pub to see one of his best friends, Shaun Davis.
“I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing – was I really now a millionaire? I asked Shaun, who I totally trust, to check again for me and he confirmed that I was now £1M richer. I guess I really still cannot believe it. It is just all so surreal right now!”
Shaun, who is landlord of The Brewers Arms continued, “When Martin walked in I thought it was all a joke. I just thought he was winding me up as he does like to do this from time to time.
“I scanned the ticket on my phone and it came back as a winner! We both just started crying and hugging each other – and then celebrated with a few beers.”
Life changing
Martin, who lives in a rented house, says he has no plans to give up work but is now looking forward to buying a home of his own for the first time in his life.
“Life will just be so much easier now. I love my job and the people I work for have become really good friends so I certainly have no plans to stop working. I am just delighted that I will now be able to afford to buy my own home and never have any money worries ever again!”
Martin, who is single, says a cycling holiday along the Norfollk coast is also high on his list of priorities, “I love cycling and this is somewhere I have always wanted to go – now I can really live all of my dreams.”
18th September 2017
The National Lottery has been changing the lives of winners and supporting good causes across the UK since 1994. In that time, there have been more than 7,000 new millionaires created and by playing The National Lottery you raise over £4 million for Good Causes every dayΔ.
Discover more