{"id":26471,"date":"2023-11-01T10:10:46","date_gmt":"2023-11-01T10:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harvestmoonnews.com\/?p=26471"},"modified":"2023-11-01T10:10:46","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T10:10:46","slug":"i-won-108m-and-bought-550-acre-estate-but-visitors-think-im-the-gardener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harvestmoonnews.com\/world-news\/i-won-108m-and-bought-550-acre-estate-but-visitors-think-im-the-gardener\/","title":{"rendered":"I won \u00a3108m and bought 550-acre estate \u2013 but visitors think Im the gardener"},"content":{"rendered":"
A down-to-earth lottery millionaire is still confused with the gardener when visitors come to his 500-acre estate.<\/p>\n
Neil Trotter landed a whopping \u00a3108million back in March 2014, just \u00a32m shy of the amount he had already predicted winning. Before even buying a ticket he had been having a chat with a few people in his dad\u2019s office about what would be the perfect size for a EuroMillions win.<\/p>\n
He recalled: \u201cThey all had various amounts\u2026one girl was a million. One girl said she\u2019d be happy with \u00a35million. Some might say \u00a310million would be enough for them. And I said 110 million. And everyone looked at me and said \u2018Why do you want that amount?\u2019 And I said, \u2018Well, I've worked out that that's what I need to do, everything I want to do\u2026\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
READ MORE: 'I want my 3ft 9in lover to do racy pics but fear randy fellas will fetishise her'<\/b><\/p>\n
For more fascinating glimpses into extraordinary lives, check out the Daily Star's Real Life section<\/b><\/p>\n
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What Neil most wanted to do, it turned out, was buy a vast sprawling estate that he has turned into a wildlife sanctuary. But the former car mechanic\u2019s first move was to buy himself a couple of nice new cars.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked the guy for two Range Rovers and he just looked me up and down and said \u2018You can't afford it\u2019,\u201d he recalled. Because Neil doesn\u2019t dress like a multi-millionaire, people are still making that mistake today.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople think I\u2019m the gardener,\u201d he told podcaster Timothy Schultz,\u201dbecause I always walk around in tatty stuff". A few old acquaintances didn\u2019t need Neil to change his image though, and got in touch as soon as they heard about his newfound wealth.<\/p>\n
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\u201cA lot of people came out the woodwork,\u201d he said. \u201cI was getting phone calls from people saying \u2018when are you going to drop my money around?\u2019 I\u2019d reply \u2018what money?\u2019 And they would say \u2018We\u2019re friends, you\u2019ve got to give me some money\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d tell them \u2018Remember when you didn\u2019t help me I really needed it?\u2019 They\u2019d say \u2018Yeah\u2026\u2019 and I\u2019d say \u2018Well you\u2019re not getting any money then, are you?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Neil may have a no-nonsense, down-to earth attitude, but it only stretches so far. He continued: \u201cI had a good business. I had a lot of friends that were customers \u2013 I\u2019ve painted cars for thousands of people. I just pulled the plug on it, I\u2019m not going back.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI do miss painting cars and the banter, and the customers. I\u2019ve still got customers that phone me now.<\/p>\n
"I've had customers that phoned me years later, they didn\u2019t even know I\u2019d won the lottery, and they ask me \u2018can you repair my car?\u2019 And I have to explain I don\u2019t really do that any more\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
But with his estate, his investments, and the young racing car driver he sponsors, Neil doesn\u2019t have a lot of spare time, explaining: \u201cEveryone thinks I sit around and do nothing all day, but I\u2019m flat-out.\u201d<\/p>\n
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