Neighbours in Penkridge, Staffordshire, are celebrating after winning £76,923 each in the Postcode Lottery's weekly Millionaire Street prize on Saturday, August 29. The ST19 5EX postcode scooped a total of £1 million, shared among 13 ticket holders.
Mum-of-three Kelly Robinson broke down in tears as she hugged her partner Micky Withington, 45, saying the win was a gift from her brother, who died last year aged 40.
“It’s a little gift from my brother to let me know he’s still there,” Kelly said. “I lost my brother last year and I swear it’s him. I feel like his presence is with me and that he’s helped me get this. He’s always been a massive part of my life. There was even a little robin outside the house when I took the phone call telling me I’d won.”
Emotional Reactions and Plans for the Future
Micky, a plant machinery driver, added: “He was always looking out for you.” Both started weeping when the winnings were revealed—just weeks after they considered cancelling their subscription.
“I can’t believe it. I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry as well. This is life changing. It beats my tax rebate,” Micky said. “We thought about cancelling it a few weeks ago, but we stuck it out and now we’ve won. I might run down the street naked holding the cheque.”
The family now plans a holiday to Mexico and will convert their garage into a bedroom for their 16-year-old son, Mason. Kelly said: “It means everything…big changes. We weren’t going on holiday this year, but the dream would be to go back to Mexico. We went last year and the kids loved it.”
Retirement Dreams for Long-Time Players
Next door, lottery ambassador Judie McCourt surprised Eric McConnell, 76, as he fixed his car in his driveway. The car firm worker, wiping away tears, said: “There’s not that much money in the world, is there? I’ve been doing the lottery for a long time and see other people win. It’s honestly staggering…it’s got to be a joke. I think retirement is definitely on the cards…unbelievable. I’ve worked in the motor trade for more years than I care to remember.”
His wife Cath, 74, added: “I can’t believe that.” Eric continued: “We’re well overdue for a holiday. We’ve not had one for two years and I’ve had plans in the back of my mind because Cath’s health has deteriorated a bit. We’re not massive, big spenders. We can enjoy the rest of our lives, spend more time together and do things we’ve wanted to do for a long time and never bothered. It’s become lists that you wouldn’t believe. A new kitchen, holiday, I might get a new car…or a new motorbike instead. And we’ll look after our son and grandson.”
Winners Return and Plan Family Treats
Pauline Wallace, 81, returned to her former street for the first time in four years to collect her windfall—after keeping a ticket at her old address. The great-grandmother said: “I’ve got two tickets at my new address and one at the old one here. It’s a damn good job I kept it. I said to the lady at the Postcode Lottery that it would be just our luck if we moved and it won, but she said we could keep it and that's why we did.”
Pauline and her husband Roger, 87, who now live in an over-55s apartment block, will treat the family. She said: “We’ll take the family out. My granddaughter wants a house, so some will go to help her with that. We’re just back from Menorca. Roger has always wanted to go to Hawaii, but we might just see what the family want to do and go on holiday. Anywhere…as long as we’re together.”
Matthew Logan, 39, an HR software consultant, was on a family break in Cornwall when he got the call—but in an area with dodgy mobile service. He said: “They called when we were on holiday in Cornwall. There was no signal and I was frantically trying to get one. We normally go camping in Cornwall for two weeks, but next year we’d like to do a cottage. Now we can get a nicer cottage than originally planned. There are little bits round the house that we’d like to do. I can pay someone to decorate.”
His wife Kirsty, 45, plans to replace their 2009 Ford S-Max with 182,000 miles on the clock. She said: “That’s not something that happens every day. We’ve never had anything like that. Our car outside is pretty old and kind of starting to die. It’s due for an upgrade. It was on the list of things that we might need to do.”
Sandra Lawley, 58, a sales coordinator for a brick manufacturer, was left speechless. She plans to replace her broken 14-year-old Renault Megane and take her daughter Hayley Lawley, 38, a police admin worker, on holiday. Sandra said: “The car is broken, so I need a new one. But I won’t be spending it all on a new one. A cruise with my daughter would be great. We did a cruise for my 50th and her 30th to the Med, but we’ve always wanted to do the Norwegian fjords. If I want to, I can treat myself to a whole new wardrobe. I’ve recently lost two stone in weight.”
Kim Hyde, 60, and her plumber husband Stephen, 63, will plan more holidays as they edge towards retirement. Kim said: “We’ve got a cruise booked for next year. Maybe a few more cruises and we might go to the Caribbean. My husband and I are hoping to retire in a few years. This will be going towards that. It’s going to make a massive difference. Just to enjoy life now; go on holidays, relax and have a fab time.”
The neighbours have all joined up to support local, national and international charities through their Postcode Lottery winnings.
