Nineteen neighbours in a Greater Manchester village are celebrating after scooping £630,000 on the lottery. The lucky winners in Orrell, near Wigan, landed the staggering windfall in a record-breaking victory on the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Seventeen neighbours in Lonsdale Walk scooped £30,000 each, while another two winners in Silverdale Road both took home £60,000 thanks to playing with two tickets. Among the lucky ticket holders are three family members from the same household, a social care worker, a van driver and a teaching assistant.
This win sees the largest number of people in a single postcode pick up cheques for the lottery’s ‘£30,000 Street Prize’ since People’s Postcode Lottery began in 2005. One family on the street described the win as the ‘best feeling in the world’ with Ian Leather, 67, Susan Leather, 68 and their daughter Sarah Leather, 42 all being surprised with a cheque for £30,000 each.
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Great-grandparents Ian and Susan described the win as ‘life-changing’, saying it will help to make life easier for their busy household and wider family. Susan said: “Sarah lives with us along with her two teenage children.
"So, we’re bringing up two families in the one house and with the electric and gas prices rising, this is a huge security blanket.” Ian added: “It’s a massive thing. It’ll take the pressure off.”
The retired couple are also now planning to make two special occasions even more memorable with their winnings. Susan said: “We have our 50th anniversary next year along with my 70th birthday. There’s plenty to celebrate and now we can make it extra special.”
Sarah, who works as a cleaner, had to dash off to work after finding out about the win. She said: “I’ll not be able to concentrate at work, this really is completely shocking.”
The family were overjoyed after finding out that 16 of their neighbours also shared in the good fortune and won a prize.
Ian said: “It’s amazing for the community, it’s the cream on top of the cake.” Social care worker, Scott Gregory, 36, also picked up a cheque for £30,000.
The dad-of-two only recently signed up to play the lottery after his manager won a share of a £7.9 million Postcode Lottery prize less than two months ago.
Scott said: “I’m overwhelmed. It’s not sunk in yet. My boss happened to win around £30,000 on the Postcode Lottery in Lowton, so I thought I’d give it a go.” Scott and his wife Rachel are now planning to use the cash windfall to treat their two children.
Scott said: “We can spoil them. I want to take the girls away on holiday but firstly I’m just going to take them to the Trafford Centre and let them pick whatever they want.”
Cheryl Valentine, 42, was left dumbfounded at winning £60,000 after having a run of bad luck. Cheryl was due to be on a flight to Tenerife with her mum on the day she discovered she’d won the cash. She said: “My mum lives in France and flew over so we could go to Tenerife together, but our holiday got cancelled for the third time due to Covid. We thought this is just not meant to be.
“We were meant to be lying on a beach when my luck turned and I got a call saying I’d won, and the Postcode Lottery would be coming to our street.”
Cheryl and her husband Mark are hoping to purchase a campervan with their cash. She said: “We were thinking buying a cheeky campervan. It would be great to be able to get away and go on adventures with our teenage son and black Labrador."
Mark was surprised when he found out just how many people had won in Silverdale Road. He said: “Nineteen people winning on our street is just incredible and it’ll really make a huge difference.”
Mark Heap, 54, also bagged £30,000. He is now planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip with his wife Julie when they both retire. Mark, who works as a van driver, said: “I’m absolutely over the moon. We’re going to do quite a lot with this.”
Julie said: “A world cruise is definitely on our list and when we retire that will be one of our plans. We are looking for early retirement, so this will help us along. We’ll definitely be going to see Minnie and Mickey in Disneyland again too. I’m sure a few of our grandkids will have a say in it.”
Julie was quick to add she would use some of the winnings to buy new shoes. The couple burst into laughter at this suggestion, with Mark adding: “No, you’ve already got a hundred pairs of shoes!”
The grandparents were also delighted for their neighbours. Julie said: “We know a lot of the street and there’s been quite a few of us who have been extremely lucky today. And to be a part of that, it’s really, really special.”
Joanne Wolf, 54, said her ‘dream has come true’ after winning £60,000. She received the good news alongside her fiancé, Dean. Joanne said: “We can do lots of things now. We’ve been engaged for just over four years, so maybe we can get married now!”
Dean said: “There’s a lot of happiness in this street. We’re sharing the happiness, sharing the joy. Joanne said she couldn’t wait to tell her family about the win: “My mum will scream from the rooftops.”
Another £30,000 winner was teaching assistant Wendy Markland, 48, who said celebrations were already underway: “We’ve already organised a celebration party.”
Also winning on the street were: Elizabeth Pettit, 67, Tracey Morphet, 55, Deborah Moffatt, 55, Sonia Marsden, 29, Roy Fleming, 59 and John Ashall, 48. The other winners opted to remain anonymous.
Handing out cheques to the lucky Orrell winners was People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Judie McCourt. She said: “Neighbours winning together is what People’s Postcode Lottery is all about, so I’m delighted we were able to deliver some fantastic news to so many people in Orrell today.
“It was a pleasure to meet our lucky winners and hear their plans for the cash – I’m sure there’s going to be plenty of celebrations happening on Silverdale Road over the next few days!”
People’s Postcode Lottery was created to raise funds for charities in Britain and beyond. Players of the lottery have now raised more than £900 million for thousands of good causes.
Everyday throughout the June draws one postcode will be announced as a £30,000 prize winner. All the players in the postcode will win £30,000 for every ticket they hold.
This prize draw was held on behalf of Postcode International Trust, which funds charities dedicated to supporting the creation of sustainable solutions that alleviate poverty, hunger and enable food security. Funded organisations include British Red Cross, Action Against Hunger and Mary’s Meals.
To find out more, visit www.postcodelottery.co.uk.
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