James Clarkson, 20, is this year’s first National Lottery winner after picking lucky numbers 16, 19, 22, 24, 27 and 35, for the first draw on 4 January.
During the snowy weather, the tradesman from Carlisle, Cumbria, was staying at his girlfriend’s house and went to check his phone for the forecast.
20-year-old James Clarkson is the first National Lottery winner of 2025 (PA)
James woke his girlfriend up to tell her the incredible news, only for her not to believe him and go back to sleep.
He then called his dad, who he also works with, to inform him of the win.
But while you’d expect somewhat of an immediate lifestyle change, James was back to work the next day.
“I was out in the cold fixing blocked drains the day after I found out I had won. It was a bit grim but that’s reality,” he said.
James won a massive £7.5m jackpot (PA)
“I’m not going to stop working, I’m too young. I want to qualify as a heating engineer and then go from there. I need to have a purpose in life, plus dad wouldn’t let me not work anyway!”
Despite the mega win, he is still firmly focused on earning his gas engineer certificate before making any further steps.
“I know people might think I’m mad to still work but I want to and, of course, there’ll be some nice holidays in between,” he said.
Recalling the life-changing moment, he said: “I was at my girlfriend’s house and got up early to check on the snowfall when I saw a message saying I’d won on the National Lottery app.
James went back to work the following morning (PA)
“I opened it straight away but couldn’t see anything to begin with; then I scrolled down and saw I’d matched all six main Lotto numbers to hit the jackpot and that my prize amount was £7,533,329! I just didn’t believe it! I thought I was dreaming!”
The Manchester City fan now hopes he can get a season ticket for the games, as well as using the money to pay his parents’ mortgage off.
“I’m not really a fan of shopping, it’s not my idea of fun but a new car, that would be massive! If you drive a cold work van all day, going from job to job, you’d understand,” he added.
On the importance of looking after his family, James said: “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, it’s what I want to do. I told them last night and they seemed really overwhelmed.
“We are close and they have always been there for me. This win isn’t just for me, I want to make sure we all benefit.”
