Man wins £7.8m on lottery - and goes back to work

A SCOT who has played the Lotto every week for 11 years with the same numbers - and has only ever won as much as £25 - scooped the jackpot at the weekend, pocketing almost 8 million pounds.

Philip Thomas Dunning celebrates his win. Picture: Michael Gillen

Shift manager Philip Dunning, 44, and his partner Gina Meikle, 45, from Bo’ness are in “a complete state of shock” after winning a sum of £7,864,529 from their £2 lottery ticket Philip purchased from their local shop.

The couple, who have both handed in their resignation to Caledonian Produce - a local food production company in Bo’ness - where they both worked, had no idea they had won until Sandra Easton, 45, Gina’s best friend, phoned to tell them on Saturday night.

Mr Dunning said today: “Gina and I had decided on an early night because we were both due in at work on the Sunday.

Philip Thomas Dunning. Picture: Comp

“So when the phone started ringing at 9.30pm, we got quite annoyed.

“The next thing I heard was Gina shouting that we’d won the lottery because Sandra had checked our number for us on the TV.

“I was in a complete state of shock.

“I went onto the National Lottery website just to see how much we had won.”

He added: “We stayed up most of the night and just went to work as normal on Sunday and I kept checking to see if my ticket was still there throughout my shift.”

The couple are planning on buying a new house with their winnings, as well as a new car to replace their 03 plate Astra.

Mr Dunning, who has two step-daughters, Ashley, 25, and Kerri, 22, said: “At the moment it’s just numbers, but when it goes into my account it will be reality.

“We were just about to get a new car so this couldn’t really have happened at a better time,

“We’re definitely going to upgrade the 03 plate Astra, and buy a new house.

“We don’t exactly know which car we want or which house we’d like to buy, but they’re first on our list.”

He added: “It feels fantastic to never have to go back to work.”

Sandra has been a close friend of the couple’s ever since they got together 11 years ago, as it was she who set them up.

Mr Dunning said: “We all worked in the same factory together and Sandra passed on Gina’s number to me and said, if you are interested give her a phone.

“And I’ve never looked back since

“Sandra and my partner are best friends, so she knows what our numbers are and said she’d check them every Wednesday and Saturday.”

The winning numbers were 4,11,27,28,30 and 49 with a Bonus Ball of 47.

The couple, who have said they will continue to play, have religiously put on the lottery every Wednesday and Saturday for 11 years with the same “random” numbers, only ever winning as much as £25 at a time.

Mr Dunning said he once won £1,000 on a lucky dip.

He bought the ticket from the Newton Post Office on Baker Street in Bo’ness.

Mohammad Sajid, 49, from Edinburgh, who sold the ticket in the post office said: “Philip always comes to my shop for a ticket.

“I don’t know him personally, but he is always very quiet and polite.

“We normally talk about the weather.

“I’ve been running the shop for 26 years and the highest I’ve ever paid out has been £78,000.”

Mr Sajid said that he, and his brother, Mohammad Majid, 61, who owns the Mid Calder Post Office, have now both sold winning tickets.

Mr Dunning added: “We have had nothing but congratulations messages.

“My boss was gobsmacked but delighted for us.”