Ready
A Scottish lottery winner chose Blackpool as the setting for his celebrations after scooping a £500,000 Thunderball jackpot. Raymond Young, 63, from Edinburgh, landed the top prize in the 23 March draw using numbers he had played consistently since Thunderball launched nearly 25 years ago. Rather than opting for an exotic getaway, the recently retired British Gas worker headed straight to the Lancashire coast — a place he describes as his “home from home”. Young has holidayed in Blackpool since childhood, recalling days spent playing on the beach and returning over the years to stay with friends. For him, the town holds decades of memories, making it the natural choice to mark such a life-changing moment. He was pictured raising a celebratory glass outside Blackpool Tower, one of the resort’s most recognisable landmarks.
He revealed that he first checked his ticket in the middle of the night while half-asleep. After seeing that his numbers matched the winning combination, he assumed the following morning that he must have dreamt it. Only when he checked again properly did the reality sink in — he had won the full £500,000 jackpot.
“I had woken up in the middle of the night and randomly decided to check my numbers, which led me to see that I had won the top prize,” he said. “I must have still been half-asleep though as in the morning I genuinely thought it was all a dream. So when I decided to have another check in the morning, this time fully awake, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that I was still a winner.”
Since receiving his winnings, Young has already treated himself to a new car and fulfilled a long-held ambition of purchasing a static caravan. He described the caravan’s location as a “beautiful spot on the coast” and said he is looking forward to spending time there with family and friends. The winning ticket was purchased at Keystore, known locally as Fordel Services, in Dalkeith, Midlothian. But for Raymond Young, it was Blackpool — with its seaside charm and lifelong memories — that provided the perfect backdrop to celebrate his half-million-pound windfall.
Below is a video clip of Raymond talking about his life-changing moment of discovering his numbers came up and what he plans to do with his winnings.
Images by © Anthony Devlin at VisitBlackpoolVisit Blackpool
