Herbert Plant was a normal guy who worked in a Sainsbury’s supermarket.  His life was turned upside down when he was made redundant due to job cuts at the firm. 

He couldn’t find himself another job and with debts piling up, he couldn’t afford to keep his home.  Mr Plant was homeless for two months before St Paul’s Hospice for the Homeless took him in.  He became chef at the hospice as he began to turn his life around.

In a bizarre twist of fate, Mr Plant bought a lottery ticket in the very same Sainsbury’s store that made him redundant leading to his homelessness.  Amazingly for him, this ticket was the winning ticket as his lucky dip selection matched all six winning numbers.

Mr Plant’s prize was £2.6 million and he plans to spend the cash by paying off his son’s mortgage, treating himself to a new car, a holiday and a trip to Elland Road to see a Leeds United match.

Mr Plant only discovered he had won when his son, Richard, did some shopping for him.

Mr Plant from Worcester, said, “Richard was running a few errands for me at the local shop and I asked him if he would check my Lotto tickets at the same time.

“He was gone over an hour so I started to worry, but moments later he ran into the house shouting at the top of his voice, ‘You’ve won, you’ve won!’

“I couldn’t believe it.”

The 49 year-old chef opted to celebrate becoming a millionaire by eating his favourite meal of faggot and chips rather than an expensive dish which he can now afford.

When he called his employers to inform them of his win, they thought he was joking.

He has taken a few days off work to let it all sink in, although he vows his new status won’t change him and, like some other big lottery winners, he intends to carry on with his job.  The lucky winner is grateful for the hospice for helping him out when he was in need and will continue to cook meals for the homeless.

Since his lay-off from Sainsbury’s Mr Plant said, “Money’s been tight.”

All that has now changed as Mr Plant become’s the latest person to be made a millionaire thanks to the National Lottery.

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