Peeblesshire News | News | Biggar share of Lotto luck

Friday, 5th December, 2008

Published: Friday, 7th October, 2005 13:29

Biggar share of Lotto luck

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LOTTO winner Doreen McAllister worked through last Friday night despite her husband just scooping over £4 million.

The Co-op supervisor from Biggar waited in her store until 4am for an alarm engineer.

And still turned up for her Saturday morning shift two-and-a-half hours later.

Husband Andrew, who works for Glenrath Farms at Lamancha, discovered just before midnight that he had matched all five main numbers and the two lucky star numbers on the EuroMillions draw.

And a quick phone call to his wife should have led to a night of celebrations.

But mum-of-three Doreen, 44, opted to stay at work. She told the Peeblesshire News: “I was supposed to just work through until 10pm but the alarm wasn’t working. I stayed until the engineer arrived at 4am.

“Alistair called to say we had won the lottery but I never really thought too much about it – I was busy watching the shop’s CCTV.

“I went to work the following morning before Andrew and the children got up, and it was only when Andrew came into the shop to tell me that he had checked the numbers that I realized what was happening.

“We have just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary, and I couldn’t have asked for a better present.”

The couple plan to buy their three-bedroom council house and exchange their old Peugeot car for a Mercedes.

But neither plan to give up their jobs.

Andrew, 42,who has been a poultry farmer for five years, explained: “My boss was really pleased for me when I told him what had happened. I am going to sit down with him and talk about my future, but I don’t really want to give it up. I enjoy my job – we look after 200,000 chickens.

“Just being debt-free is the biggest bonus of winning. We had all the normal worries like everyone else – when the next bill was coming in and how were we going to pay it.”

The couple has been playing the lottery since it started in 1994. And their only previous win was a share of a family syndicate that scooped £2,000 two years ago.

They only began playing EuroMillions in August after Irish mum Dolores McNamara won a record £79 million jackpot.

Andrew bought the lucky dip ticket from his local Spar shop – the only lottery outlet in Biggar.

The former soldier added: “Our daughter, Vicky, wants a new mobile phone and hair straighteners. Our youngest son, Andrew, also wants a mobile phone. We will certainly be having a big party for friends and family, then maybe get away for a holiday.

“The only problem is Doreen doesn’t like flying or crossing the sea – it will probably be a holiday in this country.”

The couple won a quarter-share of the £17 million jackpot.

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