Didzis Pirags says he will use money to ‘provide best possible life’ for five-year-old son

This article is more than 8 months old

This article is more than 8 months old

A pub chef who won £1m on an online scratchcard still turned up for his shift on Christmas Day.

The life-changing moment for Didzis Pirags, a single father, came during his lunch break on Saturday when he decided to spend the £6.50 he had left in his National Lottery online account on the Merry Millions Instant Win game.

Pirags, 36, who has a five-year-old son, was in his flat above the Phantom Winger pub in Broughton, Lancashire, when he began playing the game.

He said: “The first thing I scratched off said £1m.

“The nanny was there and I said: ‘Could you look at it, could you look at it please? I can’t believe it, is that £1m?’ I literally ran downstairs and said to my boss: ‘Look, look; it’s £1m isn’t it, isn’t it?’ She said: ‘Yeah, it is £1m’ and I rang the number and they confirmed it.”

Pirags has already put a deposit down for a four-bedroom house worth £280,000 but intends to allow the win to “soak in” before deciding what else to spend the money on.

He works 12-hour shifts at the pub, including weekends, as part of his 60-hour working week, and is only able to spend time with his five-year-old son a couple of evenings a week.

Pirags worked from 10am until 4pm on Christmas Day as well as working Boxing Day and plans to work the shifts he has committed to this weekend.

He pays a nanny to look after his son – whom he bought headphones for as an extra present but did not spoil during the festive period – and said he intends to find a job that will allow him to spend more time with him.

“All I want is to be able to provide the best possible life for my son and this win will enable me to do exactly this,” he said, adding that he plans to buy a car and give his current vehicle to a friend.

“This is totally unbelievable what has happened and the best dream come true ever at Christmas time.”

Meanwhile, people who purchased Euromillions tickets in Dorset this month have been urged to check their tickets since a winning ticket worth more than £40m remains unclaimed.