A Scots grandad is planning to take his pals on a dream trip after pocketing more than £1 million on the People’s Postcode Lottery. Army veteran and ex-cop David Crowder, 62, was left stunned when he found out his £1.02 million bumper prize was the biggest ever in Scotland.
Now the four-handicap golfer wants to treat his three mates with a special trip to Augusta, Georgia, home of the Masters Golf Tournament. He said: “I play with some guys all the time and I’d like to treat them to somewhere nice.
“We’ve been pals for many, many years and played all the main courses in Scotland. I’d probably look at Augusta for The Masters and try and play there or even just have a wee look round.”
Dad-of-two David landed the whopping windfall with 10 neighbours in his close-knit housing estate in Bridge of Earn, Perthshire, after PH2 9FG won Postcode Lottery’s monthly Millions prize on Saturday.
Every ticket was worth £340,000, but David tripled his prize by playing with three. Two others banked £680,000 with two tickets and eight pocketed £340,000 each with one ticket.
They were joined at a special event in Perth’s South Inch Park by 522 other players living in six villages across the wider area. They won cheques ranging from £8,629 to £43,145.
David said: “It is beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. I’m overwhelmed, flabbergasted, blown away. My legs feel like jelly and I’ve got a lump in my throat.
"I’m going to have to take a bit of time to get my head round this. I’m from a council scheme in Perth and this just doesn’t happen.”
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A former Black Watch soldier who served several tours of duty in Northern Ireland, David joined then Grampian Police in the nineties becoming a Detective Constable in CID before retiring. Now he wants to help his primary teacher daughter Aimie, 37, offshore worker son Dale, 32, and his two grandkids.
He said: “They’ll be benefitting from this. I’ll share it with my family because that’s what I’ve always done.
“I’ve got some relatives in Australia that I’ve not seen for many, many years. That’s going to be somewhere I’d go. I’ve got a cousin there and I haven’t seen her since she was a kid. On the plane I’ll turn left to the executive seats! I’ve never been in a position to do that, now I am.”
David’s neighbour Stewart Boyle scooped £680,000 with two tickets and said his late ex-partner may be looking out for him.
Stewart, 65, said: “My ex-partner Robert died two years ago of a brain tumour. He left his two dogs for me to look after and they’ve also passed away.
"I kept shouting at Robert since he died that he never left me any money to bury his dogs. Maybe this is him saying, ‘there you go’.”
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