Scottish Plumber To Down Tools After Health Lottery Win

Updated: Wednesday 11th March 2020

A grandfather from Carluke in Lanarkshire has become the first Scottish winner of the Health Lottery Mega Raffle. Grainger Whitson, who has been in the plumbing and heating business most of his life, is now looking forward to taking things a bit easier after landing the £250,000 monthly prize.

Whitson has been a regular Health Lottery player for years and his persistence paid off on Friday 1st March when he matched the winning code of SD02250910072. Claiming his prize a few days later, he admitted he was still in a state of shock but said it would make a huge difference to everyone in his family.

At the age of 74, Whitson believes this win will allow him to enjoy a happy retirement and go on holiday. “It really is a fantastic result,” he enthused. “I’m a wee bit overawed right now.

“I’ve been playing the Health Lottery for a few years and have won tens and twenties here and there but to get something like this is just phenomenal.

“I’ve been in the plumbing and heating business most of my life and I’d like to think that now I can take a wee step back. I’ve not had a holiday for three or four years. It would be nice to get that sorted out. I have a nice family I would like to help in many ways. What a change it can make to everyone’s lives. It’s unbelievable.”

How The Health Lottery Works

The Health Lottery, which is run independently from National Lottery games such as Lotto and EuroMillions, raises money for health-related good causes across the UK. The proceeds go to a different region each week to help local communities, and Whitson says he has always supported the game because his daughter works for the NHS.

Tickets cost £1 per play and draws take place every day from Tuesday to Saturday. You just need to select five numbers from 1 to 50 to take part. There are eight ways to win in every draw, with a jackpot of at least 25,000, while the Mega Raffle also takes place on the first day of every month.

You are automatically entered into the next month’s raffle when you buy a ticket. One winner is drawn at random to receive the prize worth £250,000. Maurice Ellice, of the Health Lottery, said: “We launched the Mega Raffle in August and are delighted to crown our first Scots winner. Grainger is such a lovely, hard-working man. We wish him and his family all the very best.”

Big Prizes This Weekend

As well as the Health Lottery, you can play for big prizes in Lotto and EuroMillions this weekend. The Lotto jackpot is up to £11.2 million and EuroMillions has climbed to £53 million. New National Lottery game Set For Life is also set to launch on 15th March.

A portion of the money raised from ticket sales, around 28p from every £1, goes to good causes including health, education, environment and charitable projects. Regardless of which game you play, you can take part online or by visiting any authorised retailer. Good luck!

Published: Friday 8th March 2019

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