Ray’s last minute Lucky Dip puts £131KThousand in his pocket

Ray, 61, usually uses his own set of numbers when he plays The National Lottery, but didn’t have time to input them before the deadline for the 30th August 2024 EuroMillions draw. Racing to beat the 7:30pm cut off, he decided to buy what turned out to be a very Lucky Dip.

Ray said, “It was one of the best decisions I’ve made in ages. My friends had come round for our weekly movie night and I was running late. I realised I hadn’t updated my account details and, as I’ve never missed a draw before and the clock was ticking, I just bought a Lucky Dip.

“We watched a couple of movies and afterwards I went straight to bed, without a second thought about the draw. The next morning I saw I had a message from The National Lottery. I called them and after various checks the lady said I was a winner and that someone would be in contact that afternoon.

"I couldn’t believe it and was a bit numb, I was shaking. When I calmed down the first people I called were my mum and dad.”

Ray is a carer to his three grandchildren aged 11, 9 and 7. He was previously a motorway recovery driver, but had to quit the job after losing his wife to cancer nearly two years ago.

Ray and his family have been out for a meal to toast their new-found fortune and are planning a bigger celebration in the future. He is going to spend part of his winnings on a family holiday to Walt Disney World in Florida.

Explaining what the win means to him, Ray said, “I told the grandchildren, only this year, that I wanted to save up and take them on a trip of a lifetime. I said it would take me a few years to save, but now we can go a lot sooner and get an upgrade."

Ray is a collector of war medals and is researching the history of the Royal Artillery. He also collects silver coins and is thinking he might upgrade to gold currency following his win.

16th September 2024