Manx A Million!
Last Updated: Wednesday 7th August 2013, 15:22
Isle of Man resident Jimmy Goodwin has become the National Lottery's first "Manx" millionaire after matching five main numbers plus one Lucky Star number in the Euromillions draw of 20 October to win £1,228,704.80. The Euromillions jackpot has since rolled over for an ninth consecutive week, and will be worth around £88 million on Friday 3 November.
Jimmy is a steel worker at Ronaldsway Aircraft Company, and it was a colleague there who brought the win to his attention. "I thought he was kidding around," he explained. "He had to get the crumpled up results out of the bin to show me I really did have the numbers. Everyone at work was absolutely delighted for me - they were all shaking my hand".
The celebrations continued when Camelot official Dot Renshaw flew to Isle of Man of 25 October to present Jimmy with his mammoth cheque. Although he looked very relaxed about the win as he posed with champagne for photographers, he admitted that the win would have huge impact on his life.
"This kind of win means a huge weight off my mind in general," he said "especially with Christmas coming up. And it gives me the freedom to think about things other than work, which is wonderful".
These "other things" that Jimmy refers to include spending more time shooting and fishing - and he now intends to do the latter from his very own sea fishing boat. His love of Manchester United may also inspire a few trips to watch his favourite team play at home and away.
With an £88 million jackpot up for grabs in the next Euromillions draw, we think it's a safe bet that Jimmy will be trying his luck yet again - as will many more Isle of Man players who would like to follow in his footsteps!