A BUCKIE man was celebrating last night after scooping almost £400,000 – making him the town’s second big lottery winner in less than a month.
Offshore worker Barry Howie won the cash in the Euromillions draw – just weeks after another local man won £1million in an online scratch card game.
Mr Howie was working on the Transocean platform when he discovered his good fortune, and was immediately sent home by his boss who feared he might not be able to concentrate.
The 33-year-old offshore mechanic raced home to break the good news to girlfriend Hannah and two young children.
He said: “I had no idea I’d won until I checked my e-mail account on Saturday morning.
“I handed my phone to a workmate and asked him if he was seeing what I was seeing, and he said: ‘yes you jammy so and so, you’ve won’.
“That’s when my boss stepped in and sent me home because he knew my mind wouldn’t be on the job – I just couldn’t wait to tell my family.
“My dad picked me up and drove me home to surprise Hannah.
“She couldn’t believe it when I told her. This could not have come at a better time for us.”
The couple – who recently bought their first home together – have already come up with some ideas of how to spend the £378,884 windfall.
And as well as the sensible option of paying off his mortgage, Mr Howie is determined he will splash out on the car of his dreams.
He added: “The first thing we’re going to do is pay off our mortgage, and it is surreal to be able to say that at this stage in our lives.
“Next on the list is booking a holiday. My eldest daughter just wants to go to the beach so we’ll make sure that happens as soon as possible.
“All I want for myself is a BMW 1M and I’ll be heading to the showrooms shortly.”
Yesterday he marked his life-changing win over champagne at Elgin’s Mansion House Hotel and Country Club.
The winning numbers from the EuroMillions draw on Friday 8 May were 7, 14, 19, 47, 40 and the Lucky Stars were 3 and 10.
Mr Howie matched five numbers and one Lucky Star playing a Lucky Dip ticket.
Last month Buckie man Michael Innes, who also works offshore, won £1million in an online Monopoly millionaire game.
The 29-year-old said he would plough his new fortune into creating the perfect wedding for himself and fiancee Megan Fulton, 25.
Several Buckie initiatives have benefited from a National Lottery boost over the years.
The coastal town’s district pipe band has secured funding from the organisation, as has the Buckie Blethers, a community group that helps spread the Doric tongue.
The north-east has proved a lucky place to live in recent years – with the National Lottery releasing figures last year proving just that.
Residents living in the Aberdeen postcode area emerged as the second-most fortunate for millionaire wins in the previous five years, according to the statistics.
Aberdeenshire had chalked up 218 major wins over £50,000, with 21 millionaires created in the AB postcode area.
They included two men – who chose to remain anonymous – who each became millionaires overnight in 2010 through the EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle.
In 2012, Duncan and Sheila Davidson became the second jackpot winners from Alford when they won £4.5million. In April 2010, Robert and Susan McIntosh, who also live in the village, also won £4.5million after Mr McIntosh bought the ticket and a bag of frozen scampi from the Co-operative Store.