Man who quit delivery job after £5.2 million lottery win returns to former workplace
A delivery driver who won £5.2 million in the lottery has returned to his old workplace to surprise his former colleagues with flower bouquets and Lotto lucky draw tickets.
Gary MacDonald, 61, who left his job after his life-changing win last year, made a promise to himself to return to the place where he had worked for more than three decades to share his good fortune.
Until his win last year, Mr MacDonald had spent more than 30 years delivering parcels to shops at Lakeside Shopping Center in Thurrock, Essex.
He has since married long-term partner Anita and moved from Barking, east London, to settle in a new four-bedroom detached house in Essex.
“It’s been a crazy 12 months, from discovering I’d won a £5.2million Lotto jackpot and appearing in a Lotto TV advert to getting married and moving into a new home,” he said.
“It’s a good thing I retired early; being a Lotto millionaire is turning into a full-time career!
“That said, I am very happy to come out of retirement for the day when I will fulfill the promise I made to myself.
“My former colleagues were so surprised, their faces turned into pictures. I think we did a great job surprising them and spreading the joy with today’s deliveries.”
Donna Samuels, manager of the Babyeze store in Lakeside, said it was “an incredible surprise” to see Mr MacDonald again.
“There was absolutely no need for him to do that, but I was very impressed with what he did,” he said.
“Also, Gary sharing the joy is typical of him, it just goes to show what a diamond he is.
“As far back as I can remember, Gary has been here every day, come rain or shine, joking and smiling, so when he suddenly wasn’t there one day last year, I worried something was wrong.
“I was so excited when I discovered the real reason, winning the National Lottery couldn’t have happened to a better man.”
Mr MacDonald said that at his previous job as a delivery driver, his alarm went off at 5.30am every day.
“I’ve always taken great pride in doing a job well, and that’s what I’ve done all these years at Lakeside, but what really made it happen were the many people I saw every day,” he said.
“We made connections with a friendly greeting, a few words or, on rare occasions, a cup of tea, so that when I won the Lotto jackpot, those people who were part of my daily working life were always in my plans.
“It took a while to get back here, but looking at the happy faces and laughter, it was worth the wait.
“The only problem is, my gorgeous wife Anita took the opportunity to go on a little shopping spree!”
Mr MacDonald previously said his first purchase after winning the lottery was a Shark vacuum cleaner.
