Grangemouth man wins £10k a month for a year thanks to National Lottery Set for Life win

Steven Dunbar (37) matched five main numbers in the ‘Set for Life’ draw on Monday, November 28 with a Lucky Dip that he bought on the National Lottery website and is hopeful that the news of his win will help spread festive cheer after an especially tough year.

Checking his emails first thing after playing the lottery every Monday and Thursday, Steven said he “couldn’t believe it” when he read the message.

He said: “You’re always hoping for good news, but you never really think it will happen to you. I ran straight through to the bedroom to get my partner, Rebecca, out of bed. She’s not usually a morning person, but I’ve never seen her move that fast!”

Steven then called his mum to tell her the good news. He said: “Everyone has been so happy for us – it really has brought a bit of hope and joy to everyone around us.”

Steven and his family have had a hard year, losing a close friend and two special family members within the space of just a few months. With plans for a quiet, low-key Christmas, as they just hadn’t felt like celebrating this year, Steven said: “I just kept thinking, ‘give us a break’ - and then this happened! This has given us the lift we needed. They must be looking over us. It has been a gift from heaven. It’s been a hard year for everyone, so I really want to spread hope – it really can happen to hard working people like us.”

Playing ‘Set for Life’ online each week, Steven confessed the idea of a monthly windfall is what had drawn him to the game.

He said: “This has given us options. Yes, we could pay off our mortgage, but we’d be doing that anyway. So why not enjoy it and do things we might not have been able to in the past? Life is too short.”

With two young children, first on their list is a family trip to Walt Disney World: “We want to take the girls to Florida, and we’d also love to visit New York.”

But something Steven has already got plans moving on is a loft conversion to create his own ‘man cave’.

He added: “This win has been so special for us that I’m going to create something of a shrine to The National Lottery in the man cave to ensure we never forget this feeling – I think the giant cheque will look great on the wall!”

With it all still feeling surreal, Steven said: “It’ll be like winning 12 times over! Getting a lump sum into our account each month will feel like winning all over again.”

Steven’s winning ‘Match 5’ numbers for the Set for Life draw on Monday 28 November were 02, 12, 17, 19, 21. The Life Ball was 04.

Funding from The National Lottery helped to transform under-used land in Falkirk into The Helix, an incredible living landmark at the heart of the community, where Steven chose to celebrate his win.