Hot tubs and holidays as overjoyed Doncaster couple scoop £1 MILLION lottery jackpot

Mark and Sara Plowright celebrated with bubbly and a dip in their new hot tub after striking it lucky.

Mark, 47 a concierge at Doncaster Sheffield Airport and wife Sara, 42 a training coordinator, couldn’t wait to celebrate the win and Sara’s birthday with their first purchase - a luxury hot tub for the garden.

After finding out their dream hot tub couldn’t be fitted for a few days, Mark bought an inflatable one to tide them over and so they could relax in style on Sara’s birthday.

Mark, who won the whopping £1,000,000 top prize on The National Lottery’s 50X Scratchcard when picking up some essential supplies after work last month, couldn’t quite believe his eyes when revealing the win.

He said: “I unpacked the shopping and placed the scratchcard on the table, thinking nothing more of it. I took our dog for a walk, got back and made a cup of tea and waited for Sara to get home.

“I then remembered the scratchcard so sat down to scratch it and I just kept seeing lots of ‘fifty-thousands’. I was adding them up to £300,000 just as Sara walked in. I said to her ‘I think we might have won a bit of money!’”

Mark continued: “I got her to check it over and that’s when Sara realised that I hadn’t actually scratched off part of it. She then got a pen and paper, added it up and thought we had won £750,000, which we were beyond shocked about. We immediately took it to the shop to get it checked and they told us we needed to call Camelot. When we did, Camelot told us that we were in fact now millionaires!”

The confirmation on the call came as a bit of a shock to Mark, who admits he was actually screaming and jumping up and down in excitement at the time.

The first thing on the couple’s list to buy was a luxury hot tub - something the pair have always wanted as they love the thought of using it to help them relax and unwind in the evenings.

He said: “It was Sara’s birthday coming up so the first thing we went to buy was a luxury hot tub for the garden. We went shopping for one, but soon found out that they couldn’t fit it for a couple of days. We ended up buying their last one and then bought ourselves an inflatable one just to tide us over until the luxury one was fitted, and we haven’t left it since it got installed!”

A new life in the countryside and dream trips to exotic locations - when it is safe to do so - are also high on Mark and Sara’s bucket list. “We have been saving up for a house for so long, that is next on our list and we’d like to move further into the countryside, live close to a local pub and have a nice view to look out at,” said Mark.

“I have a lot of original Star Wars memorabilia so a Man Cave to house it all in is a must, along with a pool table, bar and poker area. Our dog will enjoy more garden space and I’ll be trying to convince Sara that we need 16 more dogs!” Mark joked.

Mark, who prepares private and chartered planes for wealthy fliers including celebrities, is looking forward to experiencing the high life himself with his new-found fortune.

He said: “A few years ago, before I met Sara, I took a trip of a lifetime and went travelling around the world. One stand-out place that I want to revisit and take Sara to is Fiji. Sara is also keen to swim with pigs in Barbados so the Carribean is a must!

"After working with luxury planes everyday, I have always dreamed of experiencing flying first class on a long flight - and that’s what we will do, as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

Mark and Sara are also keen to upgrade their car and have their hearts set on an MG Midget. They plan on driving it over to Mark’s dad’s in Brittany, France as soon as they can.

They are both planning to stay working in their current jobs, but may cut their hours down in the future.

Mark and Sara won the top prize of £1,000,000 on The National Lottery’s 50X Scratchcard, bought from the Nisa Local store in Auckley, Doncaster. The 50X Scratchcard offers a 1 in 3.50 overall chance of winning a prize. The card costs £5 and prizes range from £5 to £1,000,000.

In the current situation, The National Lottery is encouraging everyone to check their tickets online at national-lottery.co.uk or by downloading the National Lottery app, and to only buy or check their tickets in retail in line with government guidance.

Playing online via the website or app means that your ticket is checked, and you get an email notification if you win a prize. You can also scan your retail tickets on the National Lottery app to check if you're a winner.

Thanks to National Lottery players, up to £800M is being used by charities and organisations affected by the impact of the coronavirus outbreak across the communities, the arts, heritage and sport. This includes up to £400M in funding support from the National Lottery Community Fund which is being used to help groups best placed to support people and communities through the crisis – from helping support food banks to causes that combat loneliness and isolation, support for the elderly and projects that aid health in the community.

You can watch a video of the couple talking about their win HERE