Bread Winner! £1m scratchcard winner was on way to buy loaf

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
A lucky man from Kent man has won £1M on a National Lottery Scratchcard, all thanks to a trip to his local shop to buy a humble loaf of bread.

Factory worker Luke Harris (34) picked up his winning Merry Millionaire Scratchcard whilst picking up the cupboard staple for packed lunches for the family. Luke said,

“It was just your average Wednesday evening in our house, Alison and I were sitting down having dinner with our four kids. I eat quickly, so had finished my meal before everyone else. We needed bread for packed lunches the next day, so I decided to go to the shop and have 10 minutes out of the house.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Whilst I was in the shop buying my loaf of bread, I decided to buy a Scratchard on a whim. I scratched it as soon as I got in the car. I looked at it about 10 times, and kept saying to myself, ‘this can’t be real’. I try my luck on a Scratchard now and again, but I never imagined I would win that amount – I would have been happy with £10!”

Luke and Alison celebrate their £1M win on a National Lottery ScratchcardLuke and Alison celebrate their £1M win on a National Lottery Scratchcard
Luke and Alison celebrate their £1M win on a National Lottery Scratchcard

Luke hurried home to tell his fiancé Alison Coke (34) the news and after calling the National Lottery line and having the win confirmed, the couple miraculously, carried on as normal.

Alison said, “It was bath and bedtime for the kids whilst we tried to contain ourselves. We both had work the next day and the kids had school, so we just carried on as normal. We did eventually manage to celebrate as a family with a game of bowling and a dinner together the following weekend.”

And whilst Luke admits he doesn’t count himself as particularly lucky, the win feels like a sliding doors moment for the couple. Luke explained,

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We only moved into our new house three months ago - that was by fluke. We hadn’t considered the area, but the estate agent sent it through to us by mistake and we decided to look at it – we ended up loving it! We put an offer in, and it was ours. If we weren’t in the area I wouldn’t have gone to that shop and won £1M. It feels like the stars have aligned with the house and the win.

“The number 31 also appears to be our lucky number. It was the last number I scratched off to reveal the winning amount. It was also when Alison and I went on our first date – 31 August 2020. We went to the same school and reconnected a few years ago on social media. It took some persuading, but she finally agreed to go on a coffee date with me. Six hours later, coffee had turned into dinner and drinks, and we’re now engaged to be married.”

With the money now in the bank, the win still feels like a dream for the couple who are making plans for the future. Luke said,

“I keep thinking someone is going to take it all away from me and tell me it’s a prank! We’ve already purchased a new family car, a Nissan X-Trail. We are looking at a wedding venue – we got engaged last September but had to put it on the back burner as the house was the priority. We want to pay off the mortgage and put money away for the kids – paying the mortgage off changes our lives tenfold. We are going skiing in February as a family, and we want to go to Lapland next Christmas. That will be the most extravagant holiday we’ve ever had.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Long term, Luke plans to go back to college and start his own business. He continued, “I want to try something new, work wise. I am looking at starting my own business eventually. I’m not sure what that will be yet, but I want to go back to college and invest in myself. That is one of the best investments you can make.”

Luke bought his winning National Lottery Merry Millionaire Scratchcard from the Co-Op on Island Road in Canterbury. It costs £5 to play and there is a 3.22 overall chance of winning a prize. Prizes range from £5 to the top prize of £1M.

The National Lottery is celebrating 30 years of changing lives. Since it launched, over 7,200 millionaires have been made and more than £49 billion has been raised for Good Causes with more than 690,000 individual grants awarded. This money supports our nation's heritage, the arts and sport, as well as helping grassroots projects in every local community.

Related topics:
Telling news your way
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice