Horley neighbours celebrate big People’s Postcode Lottery win

The neighbours’ good news came after their postcode sector, RH6 7, was announced as a winner with the lottery on Monday 29 March.

Players with the full winning postcode of RH6 7LZ won an amazing £375,805 each while a further 374 locals in the winning sector also received a share of the lottery’s biggest Postcode Millions prize pot to date: £4.1 million.

One of the lucky residents with the full winning postcode was Andrew Scott 52. He learned how much he had won via a video call with lottery ambassador Jeff Brazier.

Andrew was joined on the call by his wife Donna whom he met in school. As a cheque with the prize amount was revealed he pumped his fist and exclaimed: “Yes! That is quality. Absolute quality!”

Donna teared up on seeing the total and added: “Oh my God! That is amazing.

“When you do the lottery you never think it will be you who will win it. It is amazing.”

Andrew, a local warehouse manager, wasn’t too sure on how they would spend their windfall at first: “We’ll put it in the bank, leave it and think about it for a while.

“I’ve been thinking about my retirement, it’ll be a lot earlier! I think it’s going to give me lots of options.”

Donna had a couple of ideas for what they could use the funds for though: “I’m thinking of all the practical things we need, a new fridge and a new oven.

“We’re due to go to Florida at the end of the year, if we can get there. I’m sure there will be some treats and extra special things there.”

Andrew also added one more item to their wish list: “A jacuzzi! For the nice weather outside.”

When asked how they might celebrate Donna joked: “Plenty of gin!

“We had our family in the garden yesterday, so I think they’ll be expecting some fillet steaks on the barbecue later!”

Another couple who will be celebrating are Paul and Debs Harrington. The grandparents-of-six could not believe their eyes as a winning cheque was revealed. Debs screamed and said: “Oh my God! I can’t believe it! That’s a fortune.

“That’s completely changed our lives. I can’t stop shaking!”

Paul, 62, who owns his own bricklaying business, added: “Oh my God. What can we do with this amount?”

Debs, who works with the Children’s Trust supporting children who have brain injuries, said that she may be able to retire early thanks to the win: “I work the nights which are 12 and half hour shifts. I love the work, but I’ve just cut my night shifts down, so maybe now I might be able to retire a bit early or cut the night shifts down a little more.”

Paul added: “I feel very happy for my wife. She deserves it more than me!”

As the news began to sink in, Debs thought of a few plans for the winnings. She laughed as she said: “I need a kitchen, I need an extension, I need a new car! My car is literally on its last legs.”

The couple were also excited to share the good fortune with their family. Debs added: “Now we can meet up that’ll be nice. We’ve got four sons, a daughter and six grandchildren. We’re all going to enjoy Easter this year! It might be separate as there’s too many to get together all at the same time, but we’ll get round to everyone.

“It would be nice to put something aside for a holiday with them all, just to get back together. I’ve missed them all so much. I’d like to take the grandkids to Disney, but we’ll have to talk about that!”

The other three winners in the full winning postcode chose to remain anonymous but their prizes will be paid into their bank accounts.

The remaining players in the winning sector took home prizes ranging from £5,082 up to £15,246, depending on the amount of tickets played with.

People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Jeff Brazier sent his well-wishes to all the winners. He said: "It was so lovely to bring this fantastic news to Paul, Andrew and all our other winners today. I couldn’t be happier for them. You can really see what this win means for them.

“I’m sure there will be plenty of celebrations across Horley this week! I hope our winners enjoy the cash and get to treat themselves with their winnings.”

People’s Postcode Lottery costs £10 a month to play and there are guaranteed winners every day. People play with their chosen postcode and are automatically entered into all draws.

It’s not just players who win with People’s Postcode Lottery – good causes win too. With a minimum of 32% from each ticket going to charity, players have raised more than £700 million for over 9,000 charities and good causes.

Local causes close to the winners have also benefitted from player support. Last year, Young Epilepsy received £20,000 to renovate an outdoor learning site for young people with epilepsy and local community groups. You can read more information about the good causes The People's Postcode Lottery supports hereThis Postcode Millions draw was promoted on behalf of Postcode Earth Trust which benefits organisations that support the natural, creative and built environment through activities that promote awareness and understanding. Good causes that benefit from the trust include Canal & River Trust, Keep Britain Tidy and Friends of the Earth.