A pregnant nurse and a woman who spent months fighting for her life in hospital are amongst the more than 400 people in a Wigan neighbourhood who are celebrating this Bank Holiday weekend after winning a combined £7.9 million.
The neighbours from Lowton won the People’s Postcode Lottery windfall after their WA3 1 postcode was selected as the winning address. Lucky players in the Wigan village scooped between £14,815 to £59,260 depending on the number of tickets they purchased.
The cash prizes were revealed at a special event at Parsonage Retail Park on Saturday (April 30). Laura and Stephen Kings, 65, said they were both left shocked after they each pocketed £14,815 - just a few days after Laura found out she was pregnant with twins.
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Laura, 35, said: “We only found out this week that it was a boy and a girl, and the day after we got that news, we received two letters saying we'd both won and could come and pick up our cheques. So, we’re having a good week. We’ve already got two children and now I’ve got twins on the way. It’s going to be amazing - this is for them.”
Also winning a cash prize were married couple Susan, 64, and John Bachegalup, 67, and their son Chris Bachegalup, 36, who celebrated a combined winning of more than £120k. The trio were in disbelief after John won £14,815, Susan bagged £44,445 and Chris took home £59,260 after playing with four tickets.
In fact, Susan kept the participation quiet and hadn’t told her husband and son that she played the lottery until they received an invite in the post earlier in the week. Susan said: “John and Chris didn’t know I played and now we’ve all won. It’s been a day of shocks.”
The family already have holiday plans in place to celebrate each of their five-figure wins. Susan said: “We’re going to Florida on Friday! All of us are going - it’s going to be incredible.”
Community carer Jan Oakes, 70, and her daughter Suzanne McLaughlin, 48, also won together winning over £14k each. In recent years, Jan has spent months in hospital fighting for her life in the Intensive Care Unit at Warrington Hospital. She credited the specialist doctors and nurses for saving her life and has vowed to donate a portion of her prize money to the ward.
Jan said: “The staff were fabulous, I feel as though I owe a lot to them. The doctors put me in a coma and when I came around they helped me to learn to walk and talk again. My family were told I might only have a few hours left to live and to be stood here today with my daughter is incredible.”
Patricia Peverall, 76, landed close to £30k after playing with two tickets. She said she was over the moon for the local community: “I’m really, really glad for everyone and I love the fact that Lowton has won for a change. It’s quite a poor area and we’ve deserved some luck.”
Father and daughter Brogan and Bryn Griffiths won together picking up cheques for £14,815. Brogan, who works as a practice nurse, is pregnant with her first child and said: “I wasn’t expecting that amount – it’s amazing. I’m also expecting this year and this money will go towards getting the house ready for the baby coming.”
Another winner said: “This has been the best day ever. It’s just one of the wildest things that can happen to a small town.”
The £7.9 million prize was shared between 420 players. The full winning postcode was WA3 1BH. Winning tickets in the full postcode received £371,932 each.
People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Judie McCourt presented some of the winners with their prize cheques. Judie said: “What an amazing way to start the bank holiday weekend for everyone picking up a cheque today! Neighbours winning together is what Postcode Lottery is all about, so it’s been really special to bring our lucky Lowton winners together and surprise them with lots of lovely cheques.”
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.
April’s Postcode Millions draw was held on behalf of Postcode Children Trust, which funds charities dedicated to inspiring and supporting children and young people. To find out more, visit www.postcodelottery.co.uk.
