A grieving son has seen his late father’s legacy transformed into a life-changing fortune after winning a £1 million jackpot using his dad’s cherished lottery numbers.
Following the death of James Hayes in 2010, his son Sean inherited a notebook containing his father’s favourite lottery numbers, a sentimental keepsake that would eventually change his life.
The 56-year-old from Witney, Oxfordshire, discovered he had hit the jackpot while at a local pub, just months after resuming play following a multi-year break.
Describing the windfall as a ‘really nice connection’ to his father’s memory, Sean now plans to use the £1 million prize to achieve the long-held dream of buying his own home.
Sean only began playing Lotto with the numbers again in recent months following a years-long hiatus,
He was out with his wife, Sara on a date night when he realised the numbers had come in.
Sean said: ‘I had to call The National Lottery to confirm that I had won, but the phone signal was terrible as the pub is an old Cotswold building, so I was moving about desperately trying to get a signal so they could hear me.
‘When I eventually managed to get reception and speak to someone and they confirmed I had won £1m, it was absolutely unbelievable, and a moment I will never forget.’
Sean works for a bespoke electronic firm, reports the BBC.
On average, the National Lottery creates around 7 new millionaires every week across all its games.
Since 1994, over £49 billion has been raised for these projects across the UK.
