A civil servant has won £1million in the latest Omaze draw – and now plans to replace his ‘rusty old camper’ to go travelling.
Mark Crawford, 49, who walks five miles to work and back every day, came home to discover he had won the life-changing sum in the Omaze Monthly Millionaire Draw.
Footage captured the moment Mark was told he had got lucky with his £15 entry – and he instantly vowed to upgrade his campervan as it keeps breaking down on him.
Mark lives with his wife of almost 12 years Clair, 57, who works part-time in the social care industry, in their family home in Dundee.
The couple met in London – where Mark lived for many years – before moving back to his native Scotland in 2011.
When Omaze knocked on their door that Friday evening, Mark had just finished his usual 2.5-mile walk home from work and was ready to settle in for a quiet night.
Mark said: ‘It was just a normal Friday night. I’d finished work, done my usual walk home, and was ready for dinner – the last thing I was expecting was to open the door and find out we’d become millionaires!
‘My wife just kept saying, “I can’t think straight – I’ve no words.” She was completely shell-shocked. We both were.’
Mark Crawford, 49, (pictured with his wife Clair) came home to discover he had won the life-changing sum in the Omaze Monthly Millionaire Draw
The couple immediately FaceTimed their daughter, who thought it was a prank.
Mark laughed: ‘She said, “You’re winding me up!” – and I told my son-in-law, “You might be getting more than socks for Christmas this year!”‘
And after celebrating with a takeaway, Mark said thoughts have turned to what they could spend the money on.
He added: ‘We have a rusty old campervan that keeps breaking down, so first on the list is a shiny new campervan.
‘We’ve always wanted to do more travelling – around the Highlands of course, Cornwall, maybe even Norway.
‘We don’t even have passports at the moment, so before we buy the new camper, we’d better get those sorted.
‘Our ultimate dream is to visit Japan. It’s always been on the list – and now, as Clair said, we could actually afford the travel insurance.’
Mark has become the October winner of the Omaze Monthly Millionaire Draw. The life-changing prize is completely tax-free and is given to one UK winner each month.
After a challenging few years, Mark said the win couldn’t have come at a better time.
He added: ‘It’s just lifted such a weight. We can pay off our overdraft and stop worrying about money every month – it’s the best feeling in the world.
This is the moment that Mark and his wife were told they had become instant millionaires
‘We’d even been talking about downsizing to save costs – we don’t need to anymore.
‘Now we can start thinking about a new start, maybe even move somewhere that feels fresh.’
Mark said the win has also opened up the chance to return to London to be closer to their daughter – something that had long felt out of reach.
He said: ‘When we left London all those years ago, we always thought we’d never be able to get back there as it’s just so expensive, but now we can.
‘Our daughter is there, and the idea of being closer to her is so exciting.
‘Clair’s spent her career helping others, and she said the best thing about winning is we’ll be able to help other people close to us.’
Mark admitted that he didn’t get much sleep after such a life-changing evening.
He added: ‘I’m not sure I slept that much-and if I did, I was woken up by Clair saying, “Mark, did that really happen?”‘
As well as changing Mark and Clair’s lives forever, Omaze helps raise money for good causes across the UK through its prize draws.
James Oakes, President of Omaze, said: ‘Everyone at Omaze is thrilled to be celebrating another Monthly Millionaire – huge congratulations to Mark and Clair for becoming our latest £1 million winners! We’re so happy for them and their family.
‘Omaze offers people the chance to win incredible prizes whilst also introducing charities to vast new audiences they wouldn’t normally reach – it’s a real win-win for entrants and for our charity partners.’
