Guernsey Press

‘Dream’ comes true for retiree with £500k Thunderball win

Raymond Young, 63, thought he had been dreaming when he checked his numbers in the middle of the night.

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A man has told how his dream quite literally came true after he discovered he had won the Thunderball jackpot prize of £500,000.

Recently retired British Gas worker Raymond Young, from Edinburgh, initially checked his ticket while half-asleep.

The next morning, the 63-year-old 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.

Mr Young, who has used the same Thunderball numbers since it launched nearly 25 years ago, has already bought himself a new car and a holiday home since pocketing his winnings in the March 23 draw.

“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.

“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.

Raymond Young
Raymond Young pocketed the £500,000 Thunderball jackpot in March (Anthony Devlin/National Lottery/PA)

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

His winning Thunderball numbers were: 12, 14, 17, 25, 29 and the Thunderball was 14.

He celebrated his luck with a trip to his childhood holiday spot in Blackpool, which he has visited throughout his life.

He said: “For me, Blackpool has and will always be a home from home.

“It holds such special memories and I just love visiting a few times a year.

“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.”

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