Milton Keynes car park attendant scoops half a million on National Lottery

William Cushion, 55, has only been playing Thunderball for a couple of months and is starting to believe that the win might have come about thanks to his mum, who they lost five years to the day he found out about the win.

William said: “Since mum passed away it’s been a really tough time for the whole family.

“This win will bring so much joy for me, my dad and those closest to me, and with it coinciding with the day mum died, I can’t help thinking she’s behind this life-changing dose of luck.

“It turned a day we were expecting to be sad, as we all reflected on how much we missed her, into a day of joy and happiness and that’s just the type of thing mum would have wanted.”

William was getting ready to start a 12-hour shift as a valet car park attendant at 6am on Sunday morning when he discovered his win.

He added: “As soon as I saw that winning message I knew I didn’t need to be starting a 12-hour shift, instead I could head home and book a flight to go on holiday to Thailand.

“While my decision to leave work may appear rash, I’m a very considered person and I fully intend to plan wisely for the future with this amazing win. “I’ve always said that if I won the lottery it would be a step up for me and that I would never step back down so I will enjoy it but be careful along the way.

“But this win isn’t just about me.

“I’m sure mum had a hand in it because recently dad has been really worried about my housing situation after he has gone.

“Now he doesn’t need to worry and that’s a huge weight off both our minds.”

The winning numbers on Saturday 19 November were 3, 6, 15, 26, 38 and the Thunderball 10.

The National Lottery changes the lives of winners like William’s as well as communities across the UK – players raise, on average, over £30m for National Lottery-funded projects every week.

In his local Milton Keynes postcode area alone there have been nearly 917 individual National Lottery grants made to date, funding projects across the arts, sports, heritage, health, education, environment, charity and voluntary sectors.

In Simon’s own back yard National Lottery funding has helped Friends of Milton Keynes Hospital and Community to recruit and train additional volunteers and develop a website to create an online presence and marketing of the organisation and Bletchley Rugby Club renovate the changing rooms.

For more information on National Lottery funding please visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk.