AN ALTON man received a moving gift on his birthday in the shape of a £85,000 lottery win.

Michael Hunter was gobsmacked when he learned the Lucky Dip ticket he bought for the November 15 EuroMillions draw had earned him £84,897.

The retired aircraft engineer from “the Treloars end of town” chatted about winning the lottery two weeks before buying the lucky ticket in Aldershot Morrisons.

He didn’t check his ticket until the following week but the news meant his recent 62nd birthday celebrations were a little lively.

“We had a bottle of bubbly but as I’ve been on a health kick and hadn’t had a drink since June I woke up with a massive headache,” said Mr Hunter after picking up the cheque on Monday at Frensham Pond Hotel.

“I’ve won £10 and £20 here and there but nothing huge, and certainly nothing like this. It’s the perfect amount of money and it will allow me to do exactly what I want to do.”

The “whopping dose of good fortune” should allow Michael to move from his two-bedroom flat to a “proper” house closer to the town centre. He’s had his eye on a few properties around Borovere Lane and The Ridgeway but they’ve always been £30,000 more than he could invest.

“Thankfully that’s definitely not the case now,” said Mr Hunter, who had finished jet-washing a friend’s patio when he decided to check his ticket on his phone app.

“I’ve already had a look online and booked a few viewings so fingers crossed I can be in a new home by early 2020. My 62nd year is definitely shaping up to be a memorable one.”

Frensham Pond Hotel was the perfect setting for the cheque presentation as Michael is a keen angler and the chairman of Hartley Mauditt Angling Society.

He’s keen on securing a lottery grant for the group and intends to treat a “few people” following his lottery win.

He added: “The saying’s true that you have to be in it to win it but the lottery also does a lot for local projects, too. It’s helped a lot of charities and projects around here.”