When Arlene McCutcheon’s dad took her EuroMillions ticket home with him by accident she wasn’t expecting a phone call from him the following morning telling her she’d won £150,386. Glasgow shop worker Arlene (23) initially thought her dad’s call on Halloween was a trick but it turned out it was most definitely a treat.

Arlene bought a Lucky Dip for the EuroMillions draw on Friday 30 October and matched five numbers and one Lucky Star to scoop the prize.

She said: “I play The National Lottery every now and then with my boyfriend John-Paul. He texted me on the Friday afternoon and reminded me to buy a ticket when I was out.

“My dad ended up taking the ticket home with him by accident. The next morning he texted me and asked if he could check my numbers. I told him to go ahead because I didn’t think there was any chance I’d win!

It wasn’t long before her dad was phoning her with the good news: “I really didn’t believe him at first, I thought he was having me on. When he insisted he wasn’t joking it all felt a bit surreal. I went straight over his house to check the numbers for myself then phoned the claim line.”

Arlene’s partner, industrial roofer John-Paul Quinn (22), was with her when she got the call from her dad and the pair will be using the win to help them take the next step in their relationship.

“We had been saving up for our first home but this win means we can buy a house straight away and move in together. It’s amazing. We’ll splash out on a few holidays as well and a shopping spree but we will spend the rest wisely. And we’ll still keep on buying a Lottery ticket every now and then!”

The winning ticket was bought from the Discount Licensed Grocers on Shettleston Road, Glasgow.

The winning EuroMillions numbers on Friday 30 October were 8, 13, 17, 21 and 34 and the Lucky Stars were 8 and 7. 

The National Lottery changes the lives of winners like Arlene and John-Paul as well as communities across the UK – players raise, on average, over £33m for National Lottery-funded projects every week. In Glasgow alone there have been 6,740 individual National Lottery grants made to date, funding projects across the arts, sports, heritage, health, education, environment, charity and voluntary sectors.

In Arlene and John-Paul’s own back yard in Tollcross, National Lottery funding has helped:

For more information on National Lottery funding please visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk