On a crisp September evening in Barrow, Cumbria, Valdet Bujupi found himself reluctantly steering his car toward a local shop. The reason? His three-year-old daughter’s relentless plea: “Please daddy, can I have some sweets?” What seemed like a simple act of parental concession soon spiraled into an extraordinary twist of fate. That night, Valdet purchased a EuroMillions Lucky Dip ticket—something he insists he would never have done if not for his daughter’s sweet tooth. By the time the draw was over, the Bujupi family’s fortunes had changed forever.
According to the BBC, Valdet, 44, matched five main numbers and a lucky star in the September 5, 2025 EuroMillions draw, scooping an astonishing £524,000. The winning numbers—27, 30, 31, 41, 43 and Lucky Stars 05, 08—would become etched into family lore. “We’re all over the moon and our daughter, who was already daddy’s princess, has now been promoted to the Queen,” Valdet joked after the win. His wife Abbey, 40, was in the middle of cleaning the bathroom when she received the call that would upend their plans. “I was cleaning the bathroom and was not impressed at having to take off my rubber gloves to answer the phone. Valdet’s first words were ‘book New York, I’ve won the lottery’.”
The Bujupis had been saving for a dream trip to New York since last Christmas, but as Abbey explained, “it had been difficult due to something always coming up to scupper our plans. Now the thing that has come up is our bank balance. We can finally make New York, and so many other plans a reality.” Their 12-year-old son was skeptical at first, only believing the news once he saw the win confirmed on the lottery app. Beyond travel, Valdet intends to buy a significant present for his mother in Kosovo, hoping to “make her life a little bit easier.” He added, “Being able to help my mum comfortably enjoy her older years means so much to us both.” The family is now pondering a house move and considering how best to support their children’s futures. Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at The National Lottery, summed up the joyous occasion: “They’ve clearly got some amazing and memorable moments ahead and I hope they especially love taking a big bite of the Big Apple.”
While the Bujupis’ story is a heartwarming tale of luck and serendipity, the lottery landscape across the UK remains as vibrant and unpredictable as ever. Just days later, on October 15, 2025, the National Lottery’s main Lotto draw passed without a top prize winner, pushing the jackpot for the next draw on October 18 to an estimated £7 million, as reported by ITV News. The winning numbers that night—29, 33, 36, 38, 48, 58 and bonus 52—left thousands with smaller prizes but no one with the full jackpot. Thirty-six players matched five numbers to win £1,750 each, while over 2,000 matched four numbers for £140 apiece. More than 50,000 matched three numbers, earning £30 each, and an astonishing 521,770 players won a free Lucky Dip by matching two numbers. The HotPicks and Thunderball games, which run alongside the main Lotto, saw similar patterns: plenty of winners, but the top prizes remained elusive. In Thunderball, no ticket matched all five numbers and the Thunderball to claim the £500,000 top prize, though two tickets did win £5,000 each by matching five numbers alone.
For those seeking a different kind of windfall, the National Lottery’s Set for Life draw offers a unique proposition: £10,000 a month for 30 years, totaling a life-changing £3.6 million. The October 16, 2025 draw, according to the Liverpool Echo, featured winning numbers 1, 8, 12, 27, 46 and Life Ball 2. Set for Life draws take place every Monday and Thursday at 8pm, with tickets costing £1.50 per line. The game’s appeal lies in its steady stream of income—enough, as the promotional material puts it, to “instantly quit your job, pay off any outstanding debts, and travel the world.” Allwyn, the National Lottery’s operator, assures winners of a “secure, supportive, and confidential process,” offering everything from emotional guidance to professional financial advice. From the moment a winning ticket is confirmed, a dedicated team steps in to help lucky recipients adjust to their new reality.
Yet, not every winner is quick to come forward. As reported by the Manchester Evening News, two £1 million National Lottery prizes remain unclaimed in Birmingham as of October 16, 2025. One prize, won on May 24 by matching five numbers plus the bonus ball (9, 12, 13, 26, 38, 40, Bonus 4), has a looming claim deadline of November 20. The other, a Millionaire Maker EuroMillions win from August 15, has a slightly longer window, with the deadline set for February 11, 2026. If the prizes go unclaimed, the funds will be redirected to the National Lottery’s Community Fund, a bittersweet outcome considering the life-changing sums at stake. For those unsure how to claim, the National Lottery provides detailed guidance on its website and actively lists all outstanding prizes.
Big wins have been making headlines throughout the year. On October 10, 2025, a single UK ticket-holder scooped a massive £25,701,358 EuroMillions jackpot, marking the fourth time in 2025 that a UK player has landed the game’s top prize. Remarkably, this was the second Friday in a row that a UK participant struck gold, following a £26 million win on October 3. Earlier in the year, another player took home £65 million on Valentine’s Day, and a third scooped an £83 million jackpot in January. Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at Allwyn, captured the mood: “Wow, it’s been an exciting night for EuroMillions players, as a single UK ticket-holder has landed the amazing £25m jackpot! That’s two UK EuroMillions jackpot wins in the space of a week, after another lucky player scooped the incredible £26m jackpot in last Friday’s draw.”
For lottery enthusiasts, the calendar remains packed with opportunity. The Lotto draws occur every Wednesday and Saturday, while EuroMillions takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays. The frequency of draws, coupled with the variety of games—from instant windfalls to long-term annuities—ensures that hope springs eternal for millions across the UK. And as the Bujupi family’s experience shows, sometimes all it takes is a persistent child’s request for sweets to set the wheels of fortune in motion.
Whether it’s a modest win or a multi-million pound jackpot, the National Lottery continues to deliver moments of joy, surprise, and, for a lucky few, the means to turn dreams into reality. For every ticket bought, there’s a story waiting to unfold—some still waiting to be claimed.
