A government employee has struck gold with a £1 million win in the recent Omaze lottery, and he’s set to swap out his “old, rusty camper” to embark on new travels.
Mark Crawford, 49, who treks five miles daily to and from his job, was greeted with the life-altering news upon returning home, courtesy of the Omaze Monthly Millionaire Draw.
In a captured moment of sheer surprise, Mark learned his £15 ticket was the lucky one, prompting him to immediately promise an upgrade for his frequently failing campervan.
Residing in Dundee with his wife Clair, 57, who works part-time in social care, the couple has been married for nearly 12 years and shares their family home together.
Their journey together began in London, where Mark had lived for many years, before they relocated to his homeland of Scotland in 2011.
On that fateful Friday evening, as Omaze made the surprise visit, Mark had just completed his usual 2.5-mile walk home, ready to unwind from the day.
Mark said: ‘It was just a normal Friday night. I’d finished work, done my usual walk home, and was ready for dinner – the last thing I was expecting was to open the door and find out we’d become millionaires!
‘My wife just kept saying, “I can’t think straight – I’ve no words.” She was completely shell-shocked. We both were.’
Mark Crawford, 49, (pictured with his wife Clair) came home to discover he had won the life-changing sum in the Omaze Monthly Millionaire Draw
The couple immediately FaceTimed their daughter, who thought it was a prank.
Mark laughed: ‘She said, “You’re winding me up!” – and I told my son-in-law, “You might be getting more than socks for Christmas this year!”‘
And after celebrating with a takeaway, Mark said thoughts have turned to what they could spend the money on.
He added: ‘We have a rusty old campervan that keeps breaking down, so first on the list is a shiny new campervan.
‘We’ve always wanted to do more travelling – around the Highlands of course, Cornwall, maybe even Norway.
‘We don’t even have passports at the moment, so before we buy the new camper, we’d better get those sorted.
‘Our ultimate dream is to visit Japan. It’s always been on the list – and now, as Clair said, we could actually afford the travel insurance.’
Mark has become the October winner of the Omaze Monthly Millionaire Draw. The life-changing prize is completely tax-free and is given to one UK winner each month.
After a challenging few years, Mark said the win couldn’t have come at a better time.
He added: ‘It’s just lifted such a weight. We can pay off our overdraft and stop worrying about money every month – it’s the best feeling in the world.
This is the moment that Mark and his wife were told they had become instant millionaires
‘We’d even been talking about downsizing to save costs – we don’t need to anymore.
‘Now we can start thinking about a new start, maybe even move somewhere that feels fresh.’
Mark said the win has also opened up the chance to return to London to be closer to their daughter – something that had long felt out of reach.
He said: ‘When we left London all those years ago, we always thought we’d never be able to get back there as it’s just so expensive, but now we can.
‘Our daughter is there, and the idea of being closer to her is so exciting.
‘Clair’s spent her career helping others, and she said the best thing about winning is we’ll be able to help other people close to us.’
Mark admitted that he didn’t get much sleep after such a life-changing evening.
He added: ‘I’m not sure I slept that much-and if I did, I was woken up by Clair saying, “Mark, did that really happen?”‘
As well as changing Mark and Clair’s lives forever, Omaze helps raise money for good causes across the UK through its prize draws.
James Oakes, President of Omaze, said: ‘Everyone at Omaze is thrilled to be celebrating another Monthly Millionaire – huge congratulations to Mark and Clair for becoming our latest £1 million winners! We’re so happy for them and their family.
‘Omaze offers people the chance to win incredible prizes whilst also introducing charities to vast new audiences they wouldn’t normally reach – it’s a real win-win for entrants and for our charity partners.’
