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As a security guard working twelve hour shifts
at an Edinburgh office building, James McIntosh
is used to protecting the assets of other people.
But thanks to matching five numbers and the
bonus ball in the Lotto draw held on July 1st,
he now has to guard his own fortune worth £105,963.
James, who is from Dalkeith, is 58 years old
and married to Anne. The couple have three adult
children, James, David and Audrey, and six grandchildren
between the ages of nine months and nine years.
It's no surprise then, that James - or "Tosh",
as he is known to his friends - is very much
a family man at heart.
James didn't know that his Lucky Dip ticket
had won the six-figure share of the prize (fifteen
players matched five numbers and the bonus ball
in the July 1st draw) until Sunday. James had
gone for a walk in the park, leaving Anne and
Audrey to check his numbers against the results
published in their Sunday newspaper. It goes
without saying that when they finally discovered
the win, they were eager to tell him about it!
James describes the moment with understandable
enthusiasm:
"I was out walking in the park on Sunday
morning," he said, "when I saw these
two women running towards me, jumping up and
down. Then I realised it was Anne and Audrey.
I thought they'd gone mad but they were shouting
'you've won the lottery!' We've checked and
double-checked but still can't really believe
it, even though the cheque is in the bank now."
Although he admits that the long twelve hour
shifts can be tiring, James loves his job as
a security guard so much that he has no intention
of leaving it. However, he is very pleased that
his wife Anne will now be able to leave her
job - as a cleaner for a local school - in order
to spend more time with their family.
As for the £105,963, James has a number
of plans. He intends to exercise his right to
buy his council house, settle a loan on a new
Vauxhall Astra, be generous with his children
and arrange a family trip to the Sunshine State
of Florida.
13 July, 2006
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