Scots lottery winners to use money '˜to help flood victims'

David and Carol Martin, a husband and wife from Hawick, celebrate at the Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club in Edinburgh after winning half of the historic Â£66 million Lotto jackpot.

A “stunned” David and Carol Martin, both 54, from Hawick in the Borders, won half of the UK’s biggest-ever Lotto jackpot in Saturday’s draw, catapulted them to the top of the Lotto rich list.

They admitted the massive sum “will certainly change” their lives as they were unveiled as the winners yesterday.

As well as giving details of some initial spending plans, and their hopes for an early retirement, they hinted they may look to help some of those affected by the floods which hit the UK recently.

Their “tight-knit” hometown was among the places affected by flooding when the River Teviot burst its banks.

Mr Martin said: “We don’t have all the answers yet but we’d like to help our closest friends and family, and there are charities which are important to us too.

“Parts of our community have also been hit by flooding and we know lots of people who have struggled in recent times, so there’s a lot for us to work out, but it’s a nice problem to have.”

On the couple’s spending wish-list is a new home in the country, a holiday home in the sun and a Range Rover.

Mr and Mrs Martin – both sports fans who have been married for 28 years – also spoke of their desire to get to certain events around the world, including golf’s Masters at Augusta and the Wimbledon tennis championships.

Mr Martin is also planning a new addition to his wardrobe.

He said: “It sounds stupid but [I’d like] just a nice pair of shoes, a pair of brogues at £200.”

The couple had been relaxing at home, “completely unaware” the Lotto ticket on their mantel held the winning numbers until a visit from a friend who urged them to check it.

Mr Martin, who works for Borders Care and Repair which helps fit equipment in elderly and disabled people’s homes, said: “We were both stunned into silence. We kept re-checking the numbers as we thought there must be a mistake.”

Once the silence was broken, they drank “lots of hot tea”.

Mrs Martin, who works in a chemist’s, said: “We just kept looking at each other and going ‘No, it canna be’.”

The first person to be told the news was the couple’s 26-year-old daughter Lisa, who lives in Australia.

She initially assumed they had phoned her to pass on bad news.