Lotto Millionaire: I have not eaten for three days and I can not sleep

Wednesday, September 26, 2007 posted 11:42 AM EDT

HE is a new millionaire, but today big lottery winner Barry Hubbard vowed that he would keep on working in the brickyards.

He may have been gobsmacked when he realised he had scooped a £1.35 million jackpot last weekend, but Barry says that having money in the bank will not change him, and he'll be back with his mates in the heat of the kilns at Whittlesey brickyards.

Barry (41) did not know it, but Lady Luck was about to tap him on the shoulder when he dropped in at Nisa newsagent and post office in Whittlesey and marked up his usual three lines of numbers – just as he has done twice a week since the draw started.

His win is what every punter dreams of, but the father-of-two who has not had a day off sick from Hanson brickworks in 19 years, loves his job and plans to keep clocking on.

Yesterday Barry and his wife Alison, who have been married 16 years, were guests of lottery operator Camelot, and champagne corks were popping in the gardens of the Great Northern Hotel, in Peterborough.

Barry said: "It hasn't sunk in yet. I haven't eaten for three days and I can't sleep. But I'm going to carry on working for the time being and go from there.

"No one has had a bad word to say at work. They said it couldn't have happened to a nicer bloke."

Barry, from Crossway Hand, has always used family birthday numbers on his lottery entries and thought no more about it when he went to bed last Saturday night.

On Sunday morning, Barry, who is coach of Whittlesey Athletic under-15s football team, had a key fixture and as he and Alison were busy with preparations, he asked his 14-year-old son to check the numbers on Teletext.

When he yelled: "Dad, I think you've won the lottery,' Barry thought he was winding him up.

"I thought he was joking. I couldn't believe it."

Alison (41), a secretary at Park House nursing home, said: "I thought our son had done something to the TV because he's really good with computers."

The family kept the news under their hats at the match and for two nail-biting hours as they waited for confirmation of a win.

Barry said: "We won 4-3 against March, but I was a bag of nerves."

When the good news came, Alison admitted she "cried tears of joy".

Barry, who also has a 13-year-old daughter, said instead of splashing the cash, the couple were planning to treat their family.

But there are a few items on their wishlist.

Alison said: "We are thinking about buying a new house. I would just like a bigger garden.

"We would also like to go to Cuba, and I would like laser eye surgery because I wear contacts – even though I would be frightened to death."



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