Residents of a Rubery street who entered the People’s Postcode Lottery have won a share of a £1 million pay out.
Winners include sisters and next door neightbours Paula Beswick and Wendy O’Neill who scooped £166,666 and £83,333 respectively.
When Paula – who had two entries in the lottery draw – learned of her win, sister Wendy rushed out to buy the bubbles, confetti and flowers to celebrate. She then later found out her own husband Geoff had won too!
Wendy, of Rubery, Worcestershire, said: “This has brought us together. We lost mum in April, and we’ve hidden away with our own grief. But this has lifted us and put us back together.”
Paula said: “It means everything that Wendy and Geoff have won, too. She was so excited for us because she didn’t know they’d won.”
The siblings shared £1 Million with nine other neighbours in Rubery after B45 9HA landed the Millionaire Streetprize. Every ticket was worth £83,333, but Paula doubled her prize with two.
It’s the third postcode to win £1 Million, following on from winners in Heathfield and Beeby. Four more winning postcodes will be announced until Sunday 23 November.
Mum-of-one Wendy says the win will mean a huge boost for her and Geoff, who suffers from CADASIL, a hereditary stroke disorder which can lead to dementia.
The GP surgery nurse said: “We’ve been playing for a few years, but this is good timing… very good timing. It means an awful lot.
“Geoff had five strokes last year. The blood vessels in his brain break and bleed out.
“This, for us, is just amazing and is going to be life changing. We can have the downstairs toilet converted to a shower room. It’s huge… huge.”
She added: “Family live next door, but the street is amazing. It’s one big family.”
Little sister Paula pocketed £166,666 playing with two tickets after joining just six months ago.
She signed up because she works for Cats Protection, a charity supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
The mum-of-two said “I’ve only been playing for about five or six months. I work for Cats Protection and Postcode Lottery support us, so I thought we’d give a little back.”
Hubby Andrew, known as Bez, saw both cheques and joked: “Can I have one?”
The couple now have plans for the cash, including helping out family.
Paula said: “We’ll renovate the house, definitely go on holiday and treat our lovely granddaughter and two daughters. That has changed our lives… amazing.”
Jaguar Land Rover maintenance engineer Bez said: “We’ll help our two girls out and put money in a trust fund for our granddaughter.”
Paula added: “We like travelling. We want a camper van to do the North Coast 500 and go down through Spain into Portugal and spend a few weeks.”
And Bez chipped in: “We meet friends from Dublin in the Algarve every year. If we can, we’d like to go before Christmas and surprise them.”
As Paula and her sister celebrated together with champagne and confetti rained down on them, she said: “Wendy and Geoff have had a rough time and both deserve every single penny. Wendy’s a nurse and so well loved in the community. She has a heart of gold.”
A few doors along, joyful Mary Cowley held her cheque in the air and thanked her dad Anthony Cowley who passed away just three days before finding out she’d won.
Mary said: “Dad passed away on Sunday, and I found out that I’d won on Wednesday. I worked so hard to keep dad at home and keep him safe while I was working full time.
“This is from dad. Thanks dad, we did it! He would be absolutely delighted for me. Thrilled to bits. He’ll be up there in heaven on his bikes scrambling around and saying ‘Mary’s done it’.
The operating theatre anaesthetic and recovery nurse only joined Postcode Lottery in September during a ‘first month free’ promotion. Incredibly, she had only shelled out £12.25 before landing the £83,333 prize.
She said: “I joined in September and never gave it a second thought. I just thought, ‘Postcode Lottery, let’s do it!’ I can’t believe this has happened. I didn’t even have to pay for the first month.
“I can do the garden, paint walls and go on holiday. My best friend lives in Spain, so I can go and visit her. I haven’t seen her for three or four years. And I’ve always wanted to go to New England. That’s been on the bucket list for years.”
Next door, Lorna Swain has her mum to thank for her £83,333 win after she persuaded her to swap her postcode to her new address – two years after moving in.
Lorna said: “I moved here two years ago and mum kept telling me to change the postcode. I only did it two months ago, so lucky me!
“Mum’s not slept since she found out I’d won. She’s absolutely over the moon for me. I’ll take her and my sister away.”
The sandwich bar manager added: “I owe her the world. If it hadn’t been for her, I’d be spitting feathers. She’s coming up for Christmas, so we’re going to have the most wonderful Christmas ever. This can change my life and my family’s.”
Now mum-of-two Lorna will help her family and plough on with home improvements.
She said: “I’ll help my two sons. My youngest just moved in with his girlfriend and has joined the Postcode Lottery since I got told I’d won.
“I also want to change my conservatory roof to a tiled one.”
Any other personal treats? She laughed: “I just like buying perfume. Maybe a few bottles of Champagne.”
Further up the hill, Jayne Griffiths said she’ll look after her three children and three grandchildren – and book a dream holiday in Italy.
Jayne picked up her £83,333 cheque and said: “The kids will benefit and the grandchildren will benefit, and we’ll keep a bit back for ourselves.
“I’ve always wanted to go to Italy. I’d like Sorrento, mum always wanted to go there.”
Jayne already has big holiday plans in the pipeline, including a Christmas break in Gran Canaria with her husband and a family holiday to Menorca next year.
The financial controller said: “It’s a big birthday next year and we said we’d take everyone abroad, so this will help.”
She added: “I’m completely thrilled and lost for words.”
Find out more about the People’s Postcode Lottery and how to join
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