'You’re winding me up': Scots dad becomes millionaire after walking home from work

A Scottish dad has become a millionaire after walking back from work in Dundee.

Civil servant Mark Crawford, who walks five miles to work and back every day, came home to discover he was £1m richer after winning the latest Omaze Monthly Millionaire Draw.

The 49-year-old lives with his wife Clair, 57, who works part-time in the social care industry, in their family home in Dundee.

The couple met in London, where Mark had lived for many years, before moving back to his native Scotland in 2011. They have one daughter who lives in London.

When Omaze knocked on their door one Friday evening, Mark had just finished his usual 2.5-mile walk home from work and was ready to settle in for a quiet night.

A Scottish dad has become a millionaire after walking back from work in Dundee. Omaze

He said: “It was just a normal Friday night. I’d finished work, done my usual walk home, and was ready for dinner – the last thing I was expecting was to open the door and find out we’d become millionaires!

“My wife just kept saying, ‘I can’t think straight – I’ve no words.’ She was completely shell-shocked. We both were.”

The couple immediately FaceTimed their daughter, who thought it was a prank. Mark laughed: “She said, ‘You’re winding me up!’ – and I told my son-in-law, ‘You might be getting more than socks for Christmas this year!’”

After a challenging few years, the win couldn’t have come at a better time. Mark said: “It’s just lifted such a weight. We can pay off our overdraft and stop worrying about money every month – it’s the best feeling in the world.

“We’d even been talking about downsizing to save costs – we don’t need to anymore. Now we can start thinking about a new start, maybe even move somewhere that feels fresh.”

Mark said the win has also opened up the chance to return to London – something that had long felt out of reach. “When we left London all those years ago, we always thought we’d never be able to get back there as it’s just so expensive, but now we can. Our daughter is there, and the idea of being closer to her is so exciting.”

He added: “Clair’s spent her career helping others, and she said the best thing about winning is we’ll be able to help other people close to us.”

Mark said: “I was born without a sense of smell – but even I know there’s a strong whiff of opportunity thanks to this win. Winning a million pounds is probably the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me. I did see The Velvet Underground on their reunion tour back in ’93, so that was probably the last time I could’ve been considered cool in my life.

“But honestly, falling in love at first sight with Clair is still the best thing that has ever happened to me. She’s still here all these years later – so that’s what I call real luck.”

He said they plan to celebrate in typically understated fashion: “We’ll get a takeaway – our biggest treat is usually getting a takeaway.”

But longer term, their dreams are bigger. “We have a rusty old campervan that keeps breaking down, so first on the list is a shiny new campervan! We’ve always wanted to do more travelling – around the Highlands of course, Cornwall, maybe even Norway. We don’t even have passports at the moment, so before we buy the new camper, we’d better get those sorted!

“Our ultimate dream is to visit Japan. It’s always been on the list – and now, as Clair said, we could actually afford the travel insurance.”

Mark admitted he didn’t get much sleep after such a life-changing evening. “I’m not sure I slept that much–and if I did, I was woken up by Clair saying, ‘Mark, did that really happen?’”

Omaze helps raise money for good causes across the UK through its prize draws.

James Oakes, President of Omaze, said: “Everyone at Omaze is thrilled to be celebrating another Monthly Millionaire – huge congratulations to Mark and Clair for becoming our latest £1m winners! We’re so happy for them and their family.

“Omaze offers people the chance to win incredible prizes whilst also introducing charities to vast new audiences they wouldn’t normally reach – it’s a real win-win for entrants and for our charity partners.”

Omaze recently surpassed £100m raised for its UK charity partners since launching in 2020.