Just two years ago, Lesley and Garry McNally decided to downsize. With their children gone, they decided it was the perfect time to move into their dream bungalow.
The Manchester pair had so many plans for the property and immediately got to work on renovating the home. But tragedy struck eight months later when builder Garry died of a heart attack, five days after his 60th birthday.
The family were left heartbroken. But the loving father left a gift behind – a winning ticket on the People’s Postcode Lottery. Lesley, 54, kept playing after Garry died in September 2021 and recently scooped a £166,666 prize with her late husband’s tickets.
The mum-of-three wept when People’s Postcode Lottery revealed their postcode - M27 9UY - had landed the whopping sum as part of the first ever Millionaire Street prize in Swinton, the Manchester Evening News reports.
“I’m happy that I’ve won, and the family have won,” she said. “But it is tinged with sadness, because we had played for a long time and Garry’s not here to see it.
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Car dealership administrator Lesley had been with Garry since she was 16 and they were married for 37 years before he tragically passed away.
Their three sons – roofing firm boss Alan, 35, fireman Matthew, 32, and Emmerdale sound technician Steven, 29 – are now helping Lesley finish the bungalow renovations, which can continue with the help of the win.
Lesley said: “We played Postcode Lottery in the old house and continued to play when we moved here. We had a bigger house, then the boys all left, and we downsized.
“This is where we would have lived forever. But eight months later Gaz had a sudden heart attack, five days after his 60th birthday.
“If he was here, he would have started building. After we moved in, he had the roof off in a day. Now I’ll just enjoy it and do what we wanted to do.”
She added: “I feel sick, I’m just overwhelmed…I really don’t know how to feel. This solves a lot of things. Garry passed away very suddenly and there wasn’t a plan. This just makes the plan.
“There are just so many emotions that went through my head. It’s unbelievable and will change the family’s lives. It will all be shared. It’ll help me and the boys.”
Incredibly, it's the second time the family has won a cash prize since Garry's untimely death. Back in July 2022, Garry’s Postcode Lottery tickets scooped £2,000 for his family. His son Alan now believes his dad is looking down on them all.
“I’m not a spiritual person, but when we were paying for dad’s headstone, mum got the £2,000 win – and now this," he said.
Brother Steven added: “This is amazing, it’s massive for my mum. It has been difficult times.”
Lesley had been on her way to work when she stopped her car to ask the Postcode Lottery team if anyone in the area had won – and struggled to believe she was one of them.
She said: “When I saw the Postcode Lottery in the street, I thought it was the Labour Party canvassing for votes, because of the red clothing.
“I was on my way to work. But I phoned my boss to say that I was going to be late.”
She added: “It’s just lovely that other people in the street won, too. People struggle at the moment, so I don’t want to be ‘I won’ when other people are struggling. But because other people are sharing in the win, I don’t feel so guilty.”
Lesley was one of nine people with the Moss Bank Road postcode to share £1 million in the first ever weekly Millionaire Street prize – with each ticket worth £83,333.
Her neighbour Chris Leonard, 64, landed the street’s biggest prize of £249,999, playing with three tickets.
Now he wants to splash out on a red Mercedes CLA 220d – as well as a holiday to a five-star hotel in Anglesey, Wales, that will accommodate his dogs Rosie and Poppy.
The civil servant, who celebrated with wife of 40 years Elisa, 59, said: “This is going to make a mind-blowing difference.
“We got the biggest shock of our lives when we saw the amount. I didn’t sleep the night before because of expectations of what we could win. Elisa promised me a car and maybe Mercedes will phone me now.”
He added: “It was just a whim when we signed up for Postcode Lottery. We saw an advert on TV and I said to Elisa, ‘let’s have a go’.”
Chris’s next-door neighbour, retired community nursery nurse Dolores Santos, has plans for a house revamp – two years after moving into the street – after pocketing £83,333.
Mum-of-one Dolores, 66, picked up her cheque with partner of 30 years Jason Devlin, 53.
She said: “I feel quite giddy. This will make a massive difference to our lives. We moved into his house not two years ago.
“We’ll be able to renovate it with a new kitchen, new roof, front garden – and get it rendered.”
Stunned Angela Greenhalgh, 51, called her boss for a duvet day after being told news of her £83k win with husband John.
Now the couple aim to help daughters Natasha, 27, a primary school teacher, and admin worker Madison, 23, with deposits for their first homes.
Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service administrator Angela also plans to get a new car so she can use the private reg plates she got for her 50th birthday.
She said: “This is a good feeling, but I’m still a bit shocked and overwhelmed. We can help our daughters out. I might also treat myself to a new car. I got private plates for my 50th but I can’t put them on because my car is too old.”
Hubby John, 55, an engineering firm press operator, added: “If she shows me the bank statement and I look at it, I just won’t believe it. We can even get the dog posher biscuits now!”
People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Matt Johnson visited the winners to present them with their prize.
He said: “It was an amazing day in Swinton as we launched our mega £1 million weekly prize. I loved surprising the winners and hearing how they plan on treating themselves and their families.
“I already can’t wait to visit the next Millionaire Street – I wonder whose door I’ll be knocking on next.”
