Great Yarmouth man wins £500,000 on the lottery
A man from Great Yarmouth's celebrating twelve months to the day he had surgery for kidney cancer
A man from Great Yarmouth's celebrated a £500,000 Thunderball win, twelve months to the day he had surgery for kidney cancer.
66-year-old John Lingard underwent surgery to remove one kidney to control the cancer after he experienced symptoms on a flight returning from Tenerife last year.
Now, with a clean bill of health and a good dose of wealth, computer maintenance engineer John, who loves spending time on the Canary Island, plans to head back, taking his first week of unpaid leave since he started work aged 16:
“I visit Tenerife 3 or 4 times a year but when I left in September, I told friends I probably couldn’t make it back before early 2025.
"Now thanks to my Thunderball luck, I can afford to take a week off – unpaid – and head back for a little winter sun, and to celebrate with my friends over there.
“I may also do a little house-hunting while I’m on the island. It would be nice to have a bolt-hole for the future, and it will also be a way to share my good fortune with those closest to me who will be able to use it for their holidays too.”
"I certainly felt like I was on Cloud Nine"
John’s remembers finding out he won, seeing an automatic message congratulating him on a win. However, seeing no increase in his available funds, John put it out of his mind.
He said: “I assumed there must be a lag or something on the system, so went to work and didn’t give it another thought.
"Even when I logged on later that day to buy my EuroMillions ticket I didn’t look more deeply into the message that popped up congratulating me on a win.
"It was only 24 hours later that I finally read my messages and the penny started to drop, although not fully, because at first glance I thought it was £500.10.
“I was just on my way out the door heading to the supermarket, but when I worked out that it was actually £500,000 plus £10 on another line, I decided driving wasn’t a good idea so walked to the local shop.
"I think I actually floated there, I certainly felt like I was on Cloud Nine!
“I started playing when The National Lottery first began 30 years ago and, while all along I’ve believed that one day I would win big, now it’s happened, it’s taken a bit of getting used to!”
John, who enjoys an occasional round of golf, could be forgiven for retiring and spending more time on the course here, and in Tenerife, but he has no plans to retire any time soon, saying: “I’ve always been in work and while I enjoy spending time with friends, and I’m partial to a round of golf, I’ll keep working, albeit part-time, for a while yet.
"And having been through such a challenging time with my cancer diagnosis and treatment, I want to be sure I make the most of every moment, whether that’s work, rest or play.”
Recognising his amazing turn of fortune in the last 12 months, John chose to celebrate his £500,000 win with friends on the beach at Gorleston. He said,
“When I was first diagnosed I would head to Gorleston beach to find some peace and process the implications of my treatment.
“It’s crazy to think that at the start of the year I would come to the beach to find inner peace in all the turmoil of the treatment and my worries about the future. I couldn’t have dreamt that less than 12 months later I would be here celebrating a National Lottery win!”