Neighbours in Yarwells Headland, Whittlesey, celebrate £1million People’s Postcode Lottery win
A great granny, a teaching assistant and a young mum are among 29 neighbours celebrating a share of a £1million People’s Postcode Lottery win.
Stunned Joy Rowland, 86, says she’ll fix the garage door at her home in Whittlesey, while across the road Lorraine Daniels, 51, is heading to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
And 26-year-old mum Charlotte Harris will use her winnings for an extension to her new house.
Joy said: “I’ve never seen so much money in my life. It’s fantastic that so many people on our street have won. It’s a lovely feeling. I’ve got more than enough money now to mend my garage door.”
The pensioner and 28 neighbours shared the lottery’s weekly £1m Millionaire Street prize when their postcode, PE7 1RF, was announced as the winner on Saturday.
Each winning ticket was worth £28,571. Six of the winners doubled their prize to £57,142, thanks to playing with two tickets. Almost half of the 62 households on Yarwells Headland play the lottery.
And it’s not the first time Postcode Lottery have been spotted in the area – with the Millionaire Street prize landing in Eastrea and March in the last two years.
Joy is now planning to replace her damaged garage door after taking a nasty fall last year. In an attempt to protect her belongings from a leaky roof, Joy climbed a ladder in the middle of the night to empty a tray of rainwater, but later ended up in hospital.
She said: “It had been raining all night, so I climbed a ladder to empty a tray full of water. I fell off the ladder, and I hit the garage door on the way down. I lay injured on the floor for three hours.”
Joy added: “I got the roof mended, which cost me £2,500. Now I’ve got enough money to mend the garage door. They're so expensive, just over £1,000 that I was quoted.”
The widow, who lost husband Freddie 10 years ago, also suffered the tragic loss of her daughter Debbie, aged 43, a year earlier, after a three-year cancer battle.
Joy hasn’t decided what she’ll do with the rest of her cash windfall, but says she’ll treat her daughter Lisa Furneaux, two grandchildren Brandon and Alicia, and her one-year-old great-grandson Leo.
She said: “I’ll definitely treat my family, but they’ve all said I should spend it on myself. I look after myself and I have to look after them, but I never think they have to look after me.”
Daughter Lisa added: “I know she is my mum, but I couldn't think of anyone who deserves this win as much as her. She gives so much to all the family and never asks for anything in return apart from love.”
Joy also plans to further spoil her cocker spaniel Kizzy. She said: “She absolutely is my soulmate. I didn’t want a dog, and then my granddaughter saw her on the internet. She’s just the best, and I’m sure she’ll love a new toy.”
Another cheering neighbour was Lorraine Daniels, and she’s now planning an Australian adventure with her 15-year-old daughter Lotus.
Lorraine said: “I’m going to Perth in Australia, but I’m going to travel around. We’re gonna do lots of the Gold Coast, Whitsundays and see the Barrier Reef.”
Lorraine, who works as a teaching assistant at her daughter’s specialist learning school Meadowgate Academy, in Wisbech, also added: “It’s a lovely amount to win, and I can put some away in my savings, if I don’t spend it all in Australia.”
Mum-of-two Charlotte Harris also scooped £28,571 and landed the prize in the nick of time as she’ll soon move to a new postcode in Derbyshire.
She said: “I’m delighted to win, but relieved at the same time. I’d have been so annoyed if I’d missed out, as we’ve been planning to move house for 18 months.”
Now Charlotte is already planning to extend their new house to accommodate a playroom for her 20-month-old twins. She said: “It’s so much money, and everything will be for them now. We can make a little extension and do a little playroom and stuff.”
Another £28,571 winner Veronica Jocelyn, 53, was delighted to bag the windfall with her close friends and neighbours. She said: “When I saw my two neighbours standing with me winning the same prize, it was wonderful.”
Another neighbour Paul Hodgkin, 35, added: “It’s a great community here, we’re all together and it’s amazing to see everyone winning.”
The neighbours’ win also means local charities have benefited from thousands of pounds of support thanks to Postcode Lottery players.
And one local organisation, SERV Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, also known as the ‘bloodrunners’, has received £30,000. The charity provides a free local medical transport service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The volunteer-led service delivers vital medical support by delivering blood, blood products, medical samples, medicine, medical equipment, and donated human milk, to NHS hospitals, Air Ambulance Services, hospices, human donor milk banks, and vulnerable patients.
With a team of 160 volunteers that received The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2019, SERVSC always has at least nine ‘bloodrunners’ on call, plus the duty controller.
SERVSC chairman Cindy Dickerson said: “It really has come as a delightful shock, and I can't wait for it to be shared with all our volunteers! It makes everything they do so willingly worthwhile for their work to be acknowledged in this way.”
The team has completed a staggering 20,300 assignments to date, covering 16,000 miles in July alone. The charity, which was founded in 2011, relies solely on donations to sustain its life-saving services.
And this latest funding injection means the charity can purchase a new van.
Cindy said: “Thanks to players of People's Postcode Lottery, we can now replace one of our ageing vans, which is used to collect and deliver large deliveries of blood or milk.”
“We have been raising funds specifically for this in the last 12 months, and now we can use that money for running the new van over the next two years.”
It’s the second time SERVC has received funding thanks to Postcode Lottery players after being awarded £30,000 in November 2023.
Cindy expressed her gratitude and said: “It really does make a huge difference to a small charity like us and really takes the pressure off us so we can concentrate on doing what we do to help save lives, 24 hours a day, every day. It's what our volunteers do!”
Other local charities who have benefited from this week’s Millionaire Street prize include:
RSPB Nene Washes - £30,000
The RSPB is a charity for the conservation of birds and nature. It carries out conservation on a large scale, protecting and restoring habitats. RSPB look after 800 hectares of The Nene Washes, a huge washland for the River Nene, in Cambridgeshire.
Personalised Eating Disorder Support (PEDS) - £40,000
A nurse-led specialist eating disorder charity based in Peterborough, supporting individuals throughout Cambridgeshire. It offers assessment and support to meet each person’s unique needs, providing family sessions which include practical help, education and support.
How it works
People’s Postcode Lottery costs £12.25 a month to play and there are guaranteed winners every day. People play with their chosen postcode and are automatically entered into all draws. Details of all the prizes players have the chance to win with a monthly subscription can be found here.