An Angus £10.3 million Lottery winner has opted against leaving his hometown for sunny Spain, and still gets up early for a job he quit after his windfall.
Jake Bowman from Forfar hit the jackpot in April after working at a local factory all his working life.
Despite telling The Courier he was bound for sunny shores, the loyal 60-year-old has now decided to spend most of his money closer to home.
And he still gets up for his shift at Ramsay Ladders, despite telling bosses he was never coming back.
Father-of-two Mr Bowman sold his home of 28 years and has bought a £360,000 mansion outside of town – for £80,000 less than the asking price – and is thinking about buying a racehorse.
He said: “It’s a new ballgame — but I still wake at 7am thinking I’ve got work.
“I was brought up in Forfar.
“Why should I give my money to some other place I don’t have any connection with?
“A lot of my relations work in shops here, so I have been spending a lot of my money in the town.
“I have given a substantial amount away to friends and relatives to make their lives a bit easier.”
One of the shrewd investments Mr Bowman has made is a new Audi S3 which he intends “to last”.
He said: “I’ve still got my old head on.
“Up there I’m always thinking, ‘Should I be spending this or getting that?’”
The Courier broke the news of a huge lottery win in the town, and it later emerged Mr Bowman only thought he had won £10,000 when first checking his ticket.
But a friend at one of his local pubs called Camelot and was told Jake had won more than £10m.
The former St Johnstone youth player, a regular at Perth Racecourse, went into hiding for a few days before announcing he had landed the prize.
Because he was uncertain of his reception, he has only been out to the pub once — but said he is glad things have “gone back to normal”.
