A Scottish couple have toasted a £1 million new year surprise after winning a special EuroMillions raffle.
Former carer Barry Little, 33, and trainee hairdresser wife Roberta, 32, from Dumfries, won the prize on January 1, using their online account.
Mr Little, a father of three, said the win could not have come at a better time, having left his work because of an injured back.
Recalling how he discovered his numbers had come up, he said: "Like most people I am sure, I thought 'this can't be right, this kind of thing doesn't happen to me'. So I woke my wife to get her to check them for me.
"Once Roberta confirmed we'd won, we spent the next six hours going over and over the code to make sure we weren't mistaken. We wanted to let the children sleep, so we waited until 7am to tell them the news. As soon as the clock hit 8am we called Camelot to verify our ticket.
"This could not have come at a better time for me and my family. We've had such a tough year and this win has really lifted our spirits."
After leaving his job Mr Little struggled to meet mortgage payments and had to resell the family home back to the local authority. The family has since relied on Mrs Little's income to support their children, Malachi, aged six, Reegan, 12, and Nicole, 14.
Mr Little's first purchase will be a bigger TV so he can read the text on screen better.
"The next thing I want to do is to take my wife and kids on a holiday to get our heads around what's happened to us," he said. "We've not been on a family holiday in years so they're due a nice break. I haven't a clue where we'll be going but it will definitely be somewhere warm."
He will also take the family to the British Grand Prix in Silverstone in June.
