Dream Ashes trip planned for Windsor man

John only played a couple of Lucky Dip lines as he had some money from a previous, smaller, win sat in his National Lottery account. “I was winding down from a busy day, I’m not sure what prompted me to play but I thank my lucky stars that I did!”

John received the email news of his win the next morning, and after telling wife Jenny admits: “Life has been pretty exciting since that moment!”

The pair, who both work for Eton College - John as the grounds manager responsible for the upkeep of almost 1000 acres - and Jenny - who manages the The Charteris Centre for the elderly in Eton - agreed that they wouldn’t share the news of their win and headed off to work.

John laughs: “I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat all day, but I was so worried I might mention the good news that I did my best to stay out of people's way throughout the day. It was such a relief to head home at the end of the day where Jenny and I could both absorb what had happened and try to make sense of our amazing good fortune.”

The win comes at a perfect time for John and Jenny, allowing them to pay off the mortgage on the Sussex retirement cottage they had just bought.

While some of the practical decisions for a secure future are being made, John has a few exciting plans with a trip down under topping the bill.

John said: “The icing, cherry and possibly a candle too on top of the cake is knowing that we can now go to Australia in 2016/17 to visit family and experience the Barmy Army cheering on England in The Ashes. We also plan to visit New Zealand where Jenny has always wanted to go and where she also has family.

“I’m an avid cricket fan, I love watching the game and, for years, dreamt of going to Australia for The Ashes but it was something that even with the best will in the world was not financially viable. It is now, and I’m ecstatic!”