Middlesbrough neighbours share £10.2m jackpot after winning People's Postcode lottery
A woman has thanked her clairvoyant after winning more than £12,000 in the lottery.
Elaine Thompson said she would have missed out on the prize if it had not been for the clairvoyant, who told her she was due to win some money, just weeks after she had cancelled her subscription to the People’s Postcode Lottery.
The 58-year-old decided to sign up again and was one of 572 people on Teesside who shared a £10.2m prize pot.
The former foster parent said: "The fortune teller predicted I was going to come into a significant amount of money.
"I'd just cancelled the Postcode Lottery. A few days later I reinstated the ticket.
"I can't thank the clairvoyant enough, without her I would have missed out.
"I will be spoiling my family and taking my daughters to Fuerteventura.”
Neighbours gathered in Middlesbrough on Saturday to find out what prizes they had won, having been told they would win at least £4,000.
A total of 565 players won between £12,050 and £72,300, while seven people living on Britain Avenue, in Middlesbrough, won £379,418 each.
Mark Barker, 54, who was among those to win the top prize, aid he was planning on buying some fish for his pond and take a dream holiday in Hawaii.
The truck driver and former Army sergeant said: “You only dream of money like this, it doesn’t actually happen to working people but I guess it’s happened to us. It’s life changing.
“I can’t describe how I was feeling when I found out our street had won, I just started laughing and my wife just started crying.”
He added: “I’ll buy some new Koi carp for my little pond in the back garden.
“The wife and I are going to upgrade to business class for our holiday to Cyprus.
“Our dream holiday is Hawaii, so that’s getting booked!”
Neighbour Anne Goodman, 62,said she’s ‘walking on air’ after winning over £379k and is now arranging to fly to Australia to see her daughter and grandchildren, who she has not seen in four years.
She said: “I’m floating. I still haven’t come down from the ceiling.
“I’m walking about three feet off the floor. It’s just the most amazing buzz.
“We hadn’t seen our daughter and grandkids in over four years because of Covid and everything.
“With this cheque, it won’t be another four years, that’s for sure.”
Pensioner Brian Wing, 68, who also won the top prize, said: “Bloody hell! This just doesn’t happen to us.
“I keep thinking is this an April Fools' joke?”
His wife Karen added: “We’ve had such a tough few years because four family members currently have cancer.
“My sister and my brother both have terminal cancer and it’s just been so hard.
“So, to get something good for a change is just amazing.
“This is the stuff dreams are made of.”
The grandparents, who have been together for over 40 years, plan to buy a motorhome and travel around Britain.
Mum Emily Hutchinson, who won £24,100 plans to spend her prize on a dream wedding to fiancé Matty in France next year.
She started playing in December and said: “I signed up because I didn’t want to go back to work after maternity leave.
“I signed up to hopefully win, and lo and behold it’s happened. I can’t believe it.”
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