Lotto winner ‘sees workmate right’ as pair quit jobs

A painter and decorator who won more than £7m on the lottery has vowed to share some of his fortune with a workmate, honouring a long-standing agreement between the pair.

Willie Sibbald, from Edinburgh, in Scotland, matched all six numbers on his Lucky Dip ticket for Saturday’s Lotto rollover draw, scooping winnings of £7,084,472 (€8.91m).

The 48-year-old broke the good news to his friend and colleague of 17 years, Rab Layden, and they both handed in their notice on Monday following a pact that they would “see each other right” if one of them ever won the lottery.

Layden, 57, also from Edinburgh, was at work painting a kitchen when he received the call. The pair, who decorated houses and commercial properties, then met and told bosses they would not be returning to work.

“He phoned me at 1.45pm and said ‘By the way I’ve got something to tell you, are you sitting down? I’m the guy that won the lottery’ — and I about collapsed,” Layden said.

“I then met him at the yard and told the bosses at 2.40pm and retired five minutes later. Then we went for a pint.”

The two friends have both played the lottery every week for years, buying two tickets each, and promised if either of them won they would make sure the other would not need to work again.

Sibbald said: “We used to say ’Imagine it was us, what would you do?’ But you never expect it.

“It’s one of those things you say. You’re sitting there eating your piece and you’d say ‘Rab, imagine if we won this, you’d never need to work again.’ But you never really think it’s going to happen.”

The pair are both dedicated followers of the Scottish national football team and are now looking forward to travelling to all the away matches.