LUCK OF THE DRAWER
FURNITURE-MAKER FOR NHS NIGHTINGALE HOSPITALS SCOOPS £300,000 ON NATIONAL LOTTERY SCRATCHCARD
AMAN who has spent the coronavirus pandemic making furniture for the NHS Nightingale hospitals has scooped £300,000 on a lottery scratchcard.
Furniture maker Dan Fisher, 45, from Weston-super-Mare won his life-changing £300,000 on The National Lottery’s Cashword Bonus Scratchcard.
Dan, who has been working during the pandemic at his job for a key NHS supplier making furniture for Nightingale field hospitals, is now planning his post lockdown life which includes buying his first home.
Dan, who started his job just a month before last year’s initial lockdown, said: “I had been in my previous job for 20 years but may well have been made redundant when lockdown hit.
“So, I consider my switching jobs was a lucky turn and now this. “It’s incredible, really.
“I enjoy the job and to be employed by a key NHS supplier feels like we’re supporting key workers in their work, which is very rewarding.
“It has been a very busy few months, but Health and Safety regulations mean that there can’t be as many of us on shift at the moment and we’ve been operating a part-time furlough scheme whereby many of us are working two weeks on, two weeks off.”
Dan picked up his winning National Lottery Scratchcard as part of his regular shop at Westonsuper-Mare’s Tesco store on Station Road and unpacked his shopping before sitting down to reveal his win.
“I put everything away, put my sweats back on and couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said.
“I rang my brother Tobias, before I even rang Camelot to check my win. He was telling me to get off the phone and get on to them.
“I was a bit like Gollum while keeping the scratchcard safe. I kept it in my work bag, which is never far away from me.”
Dan will upgrade from his onebedroom rented flat to buy a bigger first home outright and plans on taking brother Tobias’ young family on a dream trip to Florida as soon as it is possible and safe to do so.
He said: “It’s 10 years since I’ve been on holiday and it will be great to treat my two nephews and nieces to the holiday of a lifetime.
“I’ve been window shopping for houses but am in no real rush, so I will wait until everything settles down and I can get to viewings properly.”
Dan won the top prize of £300,000 on the National Lottery’s Cashword Bonus Scratchcard. The Cashword Bonus Scratchcard offers a 1 in 3.54 overall chance of winning a prize.
The card costs £3 and prizes range from £3 to £300,000.
In the current situation, the National Lottery is encouraging everyone to check their tickets online at national-lottery.co.uk or by downloading the National Lottery app, and to only buy or check their tickets in retail in line with government guidance.