Lottery winner celebrates with Blackpool holiday

A man who won £500,000 on the lottery celebrated with a trip to his beloved Blackpool.

Raymond Young, from Edinburgh, won the Thunderball jackpot prize - with numbers he had used since the game launched nearly 25 years ago.

The 63-year-old said he wanted to go to the Lancashire seaside town - his regular childhood holiday spot - describing it as his "home from home".

"I've been going there my whole life, from playing on the beach as a kid to staying with friends over the last decade, so it just had to be the place I chose to celebrate my win," he said.

The recently retired British Gas worker said he had initially checked his ticket while half-asleep.

The next morning he assumed he had dreamt that his numbers had come up - but realised he had indeed won the top prize after checking the ticket with a fresh pair of eyes.

He has already bought a new car and a holiday home since pocketing his winnings in the 23 March draw.

He said: "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.

"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."

On spending the winnings, he said: "I've treated myself to a new car, as I was already shopping around for one, so this just made it all the easier to buy what I wanted.

"I've also bought a static caravan, something that I've wanted to do for a long time but have never been able to.

"I've chosen a beautiful spot on the coast so I can't wait to start going there with my family and friends."

Mr Young bought his winning ticket from the Keystore, known locally as Fordel Services, in Dalkeith, Midlothian.

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