A dad-of-four nipped out for a burger during his lunchbreak and came back a millionaire after picking up a scratchcard with his drink.
Craig Haggie, 36, from Cornwall, used the time waiting for his midday snack very wisely and popped into the Spar nearby where he bought two scratchcards along with his can of drink.
It wasn’t until he got back to the family firm’s office in Tavistock that he learned how life-changing that decision turned out to be.
‘I went out for lunch and came back a millionaire,’ Craig said.
‘It was absolute pandemonium. My family were jumping around the office screaming while my first thought was where’s the safest place to keep the scratchcard.
‘My brother and I decided I should keep it close, literally, so we put the ticket in a plastic bag and taped it to my body.
‘We must have looked crazy mad as he held the roll of tape, and I twirled around to make sure it was stuck securely to my body.
‘It didn’t last long as I quickly got very sweaty, and it wasn’t staying stuck to me, so we settled on keeping it in a saucepan on the top of a kitchen cabinet instead.
‘You clearly don’t think straight when you find out you’re a millionaire.’
Craig’s wife, Zoe, 33, was at work when he broke the news which she thought was a prank.
‘Craig is always winding me up so I just didn’t believe him,’ she said.
‘I was at work cleaning a client’s house, and I had to finish before I could leave and meet Craig.
‘I remember thinking, “Is this real? Has our life really just changed forever?” I finished the house in record time – never has a carpet been hoovered so quickly.’
It was only when she got to Craig’s office and saw the elation on everyone’s faces that she realised it was very real indeed and the enormity of what this meant for them and their young family sunk in.
‘I sat on the floor and cried. It was just the relief that we could finally sort our home out and get a bedroom for all the kids,’ she said.
‘We love where we live – it’s a beautiful spot and the neighbours are brilliant, but the bungalow isn’t big enough for the six of us.’
The couple, who have been married for six years, have four children aged between five and 11.
The family purchased a two-bedroom bungalow at auction nine years ago with the intention to renovate.
They have been saving hard, but were still some way off making the dream of the perfect family home a reality.
Zoe said: ‘This win has just been incredible for our family and we can’t wait to start work on our new home.
‘I have sketchbooks full of floor plans already – it’s my favourite hobby.
‘We’re both still young and enjoy our jobs, so will continue working, however I may reduce my cleaning hours and even get a cleaner of my own in time – imagine that.’
Craig is the managing director of WCL Storage Systems, a family-owned warehouse storage company he runs with his brother, Nick.
He bought his winning cash vault scratchcard from the Spar, on Fore Street in Callington.
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