Residents of Norfolk village of Ringland residents net share of £3.2m Postcode Lottery jackpot
A veterinary nurse won £160,000 on the People’s Postcode Lottery after ignoring his fiance’s call to stop playing.
Jack Pye, 27, broke down after being presented with his cheque before revealing the bumper amount to husband-to-be AJ Brown, 29, who had advised him to quit playing.
Mr Pye, from Ringland near Norwich, was one of 10 ticket holders in the village to win £160,000.
He said: “It will change our lives forever. We’re getting married next year and we’ve been saving every pound and penny. I’ve never had money in my life. I never expected this to be six figures.
“We’ll have the wedding of our dreams. We have already booked what we wanted, but we might add a few surprises for the guests.”
His fiance Mr Brown added: “I think I told him to stop playing because we had so many things to pay. Don’t listen to me! That’s what will be in the vows."
Also celebrating were neighbours Laura Allen and Sophie Baker, who have been lifelong friends.
Midwife Ms Allen, 39, said: “I’m shaking. This has been the best and worst week ever. You imagine everything. It’s been nerve-wracking and I’ve not been able to sleep properly.
“Sophie got the phone call first and she was screaming down the phone at me. We’ve been really excited together. She’s a really close friend. We have known each other since high school.
"Our partners grew up in this village together, we go on holidays together and they’re godparents to my kids. This is a really exciting day for us.”
Ms Baker, 42, said: “It’s amazing to win with Laura. We’ve been friends since we were 12. Our partners grew up in this village and have known each other all their lives.
“We’ve been going over everything all week. We’ve been walking round the village at night and trying to compose ourselves. We can do some really cool stuff together.”
Also among the winners was grandmother Anne Savory, 78, who said she would carry out improvements to her palm tree-lined bungalow – and help the family.
She said: “I just can’t believe this. I desperately need a new roof. If I’d won £1,000 that would have been unbelievable enough."
In the People’s Postcode Lottery, entrants play with their chosen postcode and are automatically entered into all draws.
A further 1,159 people playing with the winning postcode area of NR8 6 received cheques ranging from £1,264 to £3,792, depending on how many tickets they play with.
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