Birstall roofer who broke his back wins £500,000 from a £9.95 flutter

After being told he might never walk again, Garry almost skipped entering the draw, now he’s half a million pounds richer.

A roofer from Birstall, has won £500,000 from a £9.95 ticket, just years after a workplace accident shattered his vertebrae and left him wondering if he’d ever return to work, or even walk again.

Garry Oates, 51, entered the 7 Days Performance £650K Luxury Home & VW Tiguan R competition after seeing a last-minute email noting the draw was undersold. He planned to buy 20 tickets, but his wife Deborah insisted he get just five.

It was a £9.95 decision that changed everything.

Eight hours later, while sitting at home watching TV, Garry had completely forgotten the draw was taking place, until his phone rang.

“When they told me I’d won £500,000, I thought it was a prank. Then Deborah screamed, ‘WHATTT!?’ and it started to sink in,” he said.

The pair were offered either the £650,000 fully furnished home and car or the £500,000 cash alternative. They chose the money, a decision shaped by the brutal few years they’ve faced.

Garry previously spent almost a year off work after the accident that shattered his back, stopped him working and left him struggling mentally as well as financially.

“Last year, I didn’t want to be here. Then a year on … BINGO,” he said.

The win, he says, has finally given him something he hasn’t had in years: security. The couple plan to replace his broken down Range Rover; they had to borrow a friend’s car to collect the cheque and save the rest to safeguard their future.

“It’s life-changing. It’s changed our family’s life. I can’t believe it was us, with five tickets.”

The couple travelled to Nottingham to see the prize home and collect their giant cheque, still visibly stunned.

“We’ve entered competitions for years thinking, ‘Does anyone actually win these?’

Well, yes. Us.”

7 Days Performance said Garry’s story is “the exact reason these draws exist, real people, real wins, real impact.”