‘I popped out for some bread and came back a millionaire’

A dad has won £1 million after nipping out to buy a loaf of bread.

Luke Harris decided to also buy a National Lottery Merry Millionaire scratchcard for £5.

The 34-year-old, a factory worker from Canterbury, and his fiancée, Alison Coke, have already bought a new car and are paying off the mortgage.

He explained: “It was just your average Wednesday evening in our house, Alison and I were sitting down having dinner with our four kids.

“I finished my meal and we needed bread for packed lunches the next day, so I decided to go to the shop.

“Whilst I was buying my loaf of bread, I decided to buy a scratchcard 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 scratchcard now and again, but I never imagined I would win that amount – I would have been happy with £10!”

Back home Mr Harris had the win confirmed by calling the National Lottery line.

Ms Coke, also 34, 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.”

Mr Harris explained: “We only moved into our new house three months ago. If we weren’t in the area I wouldn’t have gone to that shop and won £1 million. 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, August 31, 2020.”

The couple went to the same school and reconnected a few years ago on social media. As their romance blossomed they got engaged last September.

They have already bought a new family car, a Nissan X-Trail, and intend to pay off the mortgage.

The family want to go to Lapland at Christmas and are already set to go skiing next February.

Mr Harris said: “We are looking at a wedding venue – we had to put it on the back burner as the house was the priority. Now paying the mortgage off changes our lives tenfold.”

Long term, Mr Harris 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.”

The family’s immense good luck is still sinking in.

Mr Harris added: “I keep thinking someone is going to take it all away from me and tell me it’s a prank.”