Bolton gran scoops £1m Lotto and will buy new house - and new knees

Malcolm and Bev Dixon initially thought they had won £1,000, but after checking the ticket again Mr Dixon realised they scooped the seven-figure prize.

Mr Dixon, 43, and Bev, 50, matched five main numbers and the bonus ball in the Lotto draw on Wednesday, 29 January 2020.

The couple said the first item on the shopping list is a new set of knees for Mrs Dixon.

The couple, who have 13 grandchildren and currently live in rented accommodation, say a new house – something they never believed they would be able to afford – is also high on the priority list.

Mr Dixon said: "This win couldn’t have come at a better time.

"Bev is in constant pain with her knees so this will definitely be the first big spend.

"Your health is so important – the win will enable us to afford to give Bev a totally new lease of life."

The couple, who celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary on Sunday, said they still feel stunned by the news.

They said: "We have a million things going through our heads which we would like to buy but we just want to take our time.

"This win will mean we will never have any more money worries."

Mrs Dixon, who is the landlady at the Railway Tavern in Leigh, and her husband, who has been forced to stop work as a building engineer, due to injury, said they will now be able to live the life they had always dreamed of.

Mrs Dixon also plans to retire early.

Mr Dixon described the moment he realised the couple were £1million richer.

He said: “I was taking my two dogs for a walk and I remembered I hadn’t checked my lottery tickets.

"I had bought two Lotto Lucky Dips for the draw – one each for my wife and myself.

"I checked the numbers on my phone and thought – amazing we have won £1,000."

"I immediately texted my wife and said, ‘you will never guess Bev, we’ve won £1,000’

"She was absolutely over the moon.

"I then thought I would just double-check this was right – I could not believe it”

Describing the moment of realisation, Mr Dixon said: "It was only when I went to check for a second time that I saw all of the zeros.

"I was just in a state of shock.

"I immediately called Bev again and said, ‘I’ve got it wrong, we have in fact won £1million’

"She just thought I was joking and said, ‘no that can’t be right!’ It was a surreal moment and one which I’ll never forget.

“We will finally be able to afford a house of our own and move closer to our three children and 13 grandchildren!”

The couple are originally from Bolton and now live in Leigh.

Their Lotto winning numbers were: 7, 40, 42, 47, 59 and the bonus ball was 58.