An ex-police officer in Perthshire has become Scotland’s newest millionaire after winning £1.02m in the People’s Postcode lottery.
Stunned Army veteran and ex-police officer David Crowder, 62, said it was ‘beyond his wildest dreams’ after bagging the bumper prize along with 532 others in Perthshire.
Now the four-handicap golfer wants to treat his three mates with a special trip to Augusta, Georgia, home of the Masters Golf Tournament.
David, of Bridge of Earn, who is a seasonal driver for an executive golf travel firm, 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 ten neighbours in his close-knit housing estate in Bridge of Earn after PH2 9FG won Postcode Lottery’s monthly Millions prize on Saturday, April 27.
The £10.2m pot was the biggest ever in Scotland.
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 – Aberargie, Abernethy, Bridge of Earn, Forgandenny, Forteviot and Glenfarg – across the wider PH2 9 postcode area.
They won cheques ranging from £8,629 to £43,145, depending on the number of tickets they played with.
David has become Postcode Lottery’s third millionaire.
Welshman Kevin Jones, of Llandrindod Wells, Powys, scooped a record £1,210,914 jackpot in January’s Millions draw. And in 2014, Colin Watson, then 66, of Invergordon, Easter Ross, landed £1m playing with four tickets after IV18 0JP won the September Postcode Millions.
Grandad David said: “I won £10 before and all of a sudden you’re handing me this! It is beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
“I don’t know how I’m feeling. I’m a bit shell-shocked. I thought £15,000 or even £5,000 would have been a lot, but I’m absolutely stunned. 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 like doing things for charities, so why would I not keep playing after this. I’m from a council scheme in Perth and this just doesn’t happen. I’ve never been driven by money and I’ve always been a charitable sort of guy. If you can’t help other folk it’s a sad day.”
David joined the Black Watch and served several tours in Northern Ireland, the first as an 18-year-old.
When he left the Army in the nineties, he joined the then Grampian Police 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.
But he’s already planning another trip on his own to see long-lost relatives in Australia – and trade in his smart Jaguar F-Pace for another top-of-the-range car.
He said: “I’ve got a son, daughter and two grandchildren. They’ll be benefitting from this. I’ll share it with my family because that’s what I’ve always done. This is absolutely life-changing, generationally life-changing.
“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.
“I’ve already got a Jaguar and a wee run-around. But I might get something a bit newer. I’ll probably get a Merc, I prefer them.”
David added that he was delighted to share the prize pot with ten neighbours and said: “It’s great for the little cul-de-sac and just brilliant for the whole area.”
Down the road, Stewart Boyle landed a whopping £680,000 and said his late ex-partner may be looking out for him.
Abba fanatic Robert Dow died of a brain tumour two years ago leaving his two dogs for Stewart to look after. But they have since passed away, too.
Stewart, 65, said: “My ex-partner died two years ago of a brain tumour. He had a horrific eight months before he died. It was just awful.
“I kept shouting at him since he died that he never left me any money to bury his dogs. Maybe this is him saying, ‘there you go’.”
Stewart says he might splurge on a Nissan Juke – and buy paint and carpets to spruce up his house. But he said his riches won’t change him – and has no intention of giving up his simple annual caravan breaks at Haggerston Castle, in Berwickshire, for exotic foreign travel.
He said: “I don’t do abroad, I’ve done abroad. I go to a caravan every year and that will be exactly the same. I’ve done what I wanted to do and been where I wanted.”
The retired foster carer thought the first cheque was his total winnings and was left stunned when ambassador Matt Johnson presented him with a second one.
He said: “Oh my God, this is too much! The highest I thought was £5,000 but this is just amazing…life-changing. I can’t say the words to describe how I feel. To win something like this is unbelievable.
“I thought the first amount was what I’d won and then he handed me another cheque. That was mind blowing. It just about put me into Perth Royal Infirmary!”
He added: “I’ve got a couple of sisters and they’ll get something anyway. My mum is 88 and she’ll just cry. I know she won’t take a penny of it.”
Great gran Aveline ‘Joyce’ Johnston and husband Jim are planning to move back into the city of Perth – and want to treat themselves to a new Volvo.
Retired BP Services manager Joyce, 77, who bagged £680,000, said: “I can’t believe this, it’s unreal but a very pleasant unreal. You’ve really taken my breath away. This is an unbelievable dream. It’s a dream come true.
“We’ve lived in this house for 15 years, but I’d really like to buy somewhere new. We’re both born and bred in Perth, and it’s been our dream for a long time to get ourselves back into the city and now we’ll be able to do that.”
Joyce and retired joiner Jim, 81, have known each other for nearly 60 years but wed just 17 years ago. They share four children, five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Jim said: “It’s never too late to win. I’ve got the chance now to really enjoy life, however long I have left, before I pop my clogs. Now is our time to treat ourselves.”
Kerry Watson’s scream of delight echoed round the neighbourhood when her £340,000 cheque was revealed the day after her 53rd birthday.
And when bride-to-be daughter Lori, 24, saw the prize, she said: “I can get an extra tier on my cake now!”
Kerry says she will treat the family following a tough year as her husband Robert, 57, recovers from a stroke.
The University of St Andrews senior sales and marketing manager said: “The last year has been really tough for us as family, but I finally feel like it is changing. I’m excited for the future and can’t wait to celebrate with my family tonight.”
The immediate and extended family will set sail on a two-week Med cruise later this year and, in 2026, Robert will get to walk his only daughter down the aisle at her wedding in St Andrews.
And Kerry has one other dream – a caravan near her mum in Arbroath, Angus.
She said: “We love to go back to Arbroath and having our own wee space there will make it even easier for us to get home and visit my mum.”
She added: “For anyone that doesn’t play People’s Postcode Lottery I’d say do it! I never thought I’d win and now I have!”
Community champ Claire Smith, 49, is planning to buy a motorhome and tour Scotland after picking up £340,000 – as well as helping accountant son Conor, 28.
The former community warden was medically retired from her local authority role after suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and neuropathy in her hands and feet.
The mum-of-one said: “I would love a motorhome. I had one before, but then my hands started to go and it wasn’t power steering so I had to get rid of it. I’d like a three berth with a fixed bed.
“I love going on holiday in Scotland. I’ve been all over the place. West is best. I can just pick up the dogs and go. I can’t wait, I’m so excited.”
She added: “I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise. I suppose I can now.”
Claire is chair of the Oudenarde Community Group which set up a community cabin and garden in the little pocket of Bridge of Earn. The hub is a hive of activities for kids and their parents. Now they are desperate to establish a children’s play park.
Claire – who admits she rakes through skips to find old toys for re-use – said: “This is a community that has been forgotten.
“We have to keep fund-raising. The ultimate aim is to get a playpark because the kids have nowhere to play.
“Every child in Scotland has the right to play. There aren’t even good pavements around here, never mind a play park.”
Along the road, train enthusiast John Brady, 68, has longed to make his dream rail trip across America and Canada for years – and now he’ll do it in style with a first-class ticket.
John said: “This is something I’ve always wanted to do and now I will. Unfortunately my wife’s health means she can’t come, but I have her blessing to go.”
But retired John is looking forward to buying a new car his wife Mairi, 70, and daughter Lorna, 33, who both suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.
He said: “I really want to get Mairi a car that is more accessible for her and has space for her scooter. That really would be lifechanging for her.
“My wife was a chef and baker before she retired but due to her arthritis, she’s no longer able to do that. I hope this money will give us some peace in our retirement, no fear just joy.”
He added: “It’s absolutely amazing that so many people in Bridge of Earn have won. We’re a community where people don’t need to ask for help, we’re always there just offering support. The atmosphere in the community is just going to be electric now we’ve had the Postcode Lottery here.”
SSE worker Garry Jackson, 57, hinted the family might move to a bigger house and upgrade a planned trip to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
The dad-of-three – joined by wife Fiona, 53, daughter Jodie, 28, and their nine -month-old puppy Sam – said: “I’m sweating. I’m shaking. I’ve definitely had worse Saturday mornings!
“I feel absolutely brilliant. This is unbelievable, I never thought anything like this would ever happen to me, and now it has!”
Mental health worker Fiona said: “I think we might have a new postcode to play with soon.”
Garry added: “We’re really looking forward to going to Italy in four weeks as we had to cancel it in 2020 due to Covid. Now we’ll be able to get flights where we can turn left on the plane and just treat ourselves a bit more.”
Dad-of-two Andrew Kane told how he had been pacing the floor for four nights until his windfall was finally revealed.
Andrew, 41, and wife Nickii, 43, broke down in tears and hugged each other after being presented with £340,000.
He said: “I feel sick, but it feels good. Since we got the call on Tuesday to say we’d won something it has been stressful and a bit nerve-wracking. I haven’t slept since then.”
The couple are planning to move to a bigger home in the area – and want to book a holiday to their favourite destination of Belek in Turkey.
Andrew, who works in learning and development at energy firm SSE, said: “It is a lovely, close-knit community. We love it here and would want to stay in this area.”
Nickii, who works in HR at the same company, added: “We love Turkey. It’s a completely different experience and you get treated like royalty.”
She added: “We’ll have to take some time to digest this. It doesn’t feel real. We’ll wake up tomorrow and think that didn’t just happen.”
New millionaire David got a bonus later on Saturday when one of his favourite charities was presented with a bumper cheque.
David has been an avid supporter of Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance, based at Perth and Aberdeen, and revealed two ex-police colleagues joined the organisation after leaving the force.
SCAA provides rapid emergency response by air and land for patients who have experienced a time-critical emergency. The charity is there for everyone in Scotland when they need it. Support from players of the Postcode Lottery is helping to keep SCAA flying and saving lives.
David said: “The SCAA have never helped me personally, but they have helped a lot of people I know.”
He watched as SCAA chief executive David Craig was presented with a cheque for £300,000 by Postcode Lottery ambassador Judie McCourt at Perth’s South Inch Park.
Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have already raised £1,150,000, but this new funding award will ensure that the charity can continue to save and improve lives across the country.
Mr Craig said: “We have been very fortunate to have been supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery for a number of years now.
“This money will enable us to continue to fund our life-saving service, effectively going out and saving people in their most traumatic time of need.”
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