MORE than 400 hundred neighbours from Lowton near Warrington were celebrating over the Bank Holiday weekend after netting a combined £7.9 million with the People’s Postcode Lottery.
The windfall came after the postcode sector WA3 1 was revealed as lucky players in Lowton scooped between £14,815 all the way up to £59,260 depending on the number of tickets they hold.
Laura and Stephen Kings (65) were both left shocked after they each pocketed £14,815, only a few days after finding out that Laura is pregnant with twins.
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.”
Among the winners was a married couple, Susan (64) and John Bachegalup (67) and their son, Chris Bachegalup (36) who celebrated combined winnings of over £120k.
The trio were in disbelief after John won £14,815, Susan bagged £44,445 and Chris took home £59,260 due to playing with four tickets.
Susan 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 playing with two tickets and was over the moon for the local community. She said: “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 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. Funded organisations include NSPCC, Whizz-Kidz, Magic Breakfast and Young Lives vs Cancer.
Local good causes have also benefitted from player support. Creating Adventures in Warrington received a grant of £11,434 to enrich the lives of adults with autism and learning disabilities through the provision of activities in the community.
To find out more, visit www.postcodelottery.co.uk.
