£3.6m lotto win paves way for James to enjoy trip of a lifetime
BUT 21-YEAR-OLD HAS NO PLANS TO CHANGE HIS LIFESTYLE
A DERBYSHIRE man is celebrating a £3.6 million win on the National Lottery.
James Evans, from South Derbyshire, will bank £10,000 every month for the next 30 years.
This colossal sum comes after James bagged top prize in the Set For Life draw on Monday, December 28.
The 21-year-old, a block paver for his dad’s business, admitted he was overjoyed to win such a massive amount of money.
While he has no plans to drastically change his lifestyle any time soon, he is excited about travelling to new places and seeing more of the world.
He said: “My first thought was a skiing trip to Canada with my family. I would also love to go to Alaska, I will definitely take a trip of a lifetime there when it’s safe to travel again.
“My dad was chuffed for me and he doesn’t want me working for him for the rest of his life, but I will always be there to help him out, whatever I decide to do in the future.
“I never thought I would actually win, but you have to be in it to win it, as they say.”
The achievement came as a shock to James, who didn’t give his lottery ticket a second thought after purchasing it.
When he found out he was a winner, he found it impossible to believe he’d come into such an eyewatering amount.
“I woke up on Tuesday morning and had forgotten all about the Set For Life ticket I had bought the day before,” he said. “I have been working consistently throughout the pandemic and I’ve been really busy, so I was enjoying some time off over the Christmas break.
“I turned on my PlayStation, ready to play a game and checked my emails whilst waiting for it to load. I noticed an email from The National Lottery to say I’d won a prize, but didn’t think too much of it as I’d won £5 not too long ago.”
“I checked the National Lottery app and saw that I had matched all of the five main numbers and the Life Ball. I couldn’t believe it! I ran down to my mum to get her to check but she wasn’t sure either.”
Despite winning big, James kept his success hidden from everyone but close family for days after hearing the news. He bumped into a friend on the day he found out he had triumphed but said nothing.
And even after joining his mates to play games and have some drinks during virtual New Year’s Eve celebrations, he managed to keep things quiet. James said: “I had a great evening with all of my friends but I was adamant I wasn’t going to tell anyone as it still didn’t feel real - it was really difficult not to slip up!
“I have since told all of my friends and they are so happy.”
I never thought I would actually win, but you have to be in it to win it, as they say.
James Evans