A BUSINESSMAN has had the dream start to 2021 - after he found out he had won a whopping £100,000 on a scratchcard.

Accrington man Michael McCaffrey said he popped out between Christmas and New Year to do some ‘bits and pieces’ of shopping when he decided to but a National Lottery Christmas Countdown Scratchcard.

Mr McCaffrey, who recently set up his own business, The Dapper Wrapper, said he came up with a dozen reasons why he thought there had been a mistake when he found out he had won.

“I just thought this can’t be right. This sort of thing doesn’t happen to normal people like me. I kept playing mind games with myself and tried to convince myself that this just couldn’t be true. I even FaceTimed my mum to show her the scratchcard and said …. ‘Mum this isn’t a winner, is it…?’ I think she even started to doubt it herself,” Michael said.

Michael added that it was only after he called Camelot to confirm the win did he realise he really was £100,000 richer. He said: “I was close to tears on the phone – and I have to confess that when I came off the phone I did burst into tears! This is just incredible and the win will make such a huge difference to my life and my business.”

Michael, who left his job as a salesman last summer, says he now intends to invest a large chunk of his win into his car wrapping business, The Dapper Wrapper.

It was actually a last minute whim which led Michael to buy his winning Christmas Countdown National Lottery Scratchcard.

He said: “I had been to the local shop to get some bits and bobs and was literally walking out of the door when I remembered I had a couple of scratchcards which I had bought earlier in the month and won a few pounds on but which I hadn’t yet cashed in. There was around £35 in winnings on them so I went back into the shop.

“As I approached the counter, the Christmas Countdown Scratchcard really caught my eye. Christmas had come and gone and I thought I can’t leave that Scratchcard sitting there, so I bought five.”

This whim certainly turned out to be a winning one for Michael, who pocketed two individual £5 wins on the first two Scratchcards, £10 on the third Scratchcard, nothing on the fourth and then the top prize of £100k on the final Christmas Countdown Scratchcard!

Apart from giving his business a well-timed cash injection, Michael also has his dream car on his shopping list.

Michael’s winning Christmas Countdown Scratchcard from The National Lottery was bought at Thriftys in Union Road, Oswaldtwistle.