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

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.

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

Raymond Young, Thunderball winner

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.

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

“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.

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.”