I totally ignored £320,000 lottery windfall – it took them rocking up at my door for me to finally believe it
A MAN completely ignored a hefty lottery win amounting to £320,000 and he only believed it when they rolled up to his front door.
Nurse Jonas, of Moreton, in The Wirral, Merseyside, had his “life-changing” win just three months after he signed up for the Postcode Lottery.
Jonas landed the windfall with seven neighbours in Wirral – birthplace of stars including Strictly‘s Shirley Ballas, late TV presenter Paul O’Grady and Hollywood actor Taron Egerton – after CH46 7TU was announced as the winner of the £3.2million Postcode Millions prize.
Every ticket was worth £160,000, but Jonas and another neighbour doubled their winnings as they each played with two tickets.
A further 240 people playing in the wider Wirral postcode sector of CH46 7 received cheques ranging from £5,904 to £29,520, depending on how many tickets they played with.
Jonas told of his shock after the lottery crew turned up at his door – after failing to read email messages that he’d won.
He said: “My heart is about to come out of my chest. It’s a bit surreal. I didn’t know you were coming. I’m actually speechless. Thank you so much.
“I joined up after getting a letter through the door. They normally go straight in the bin, but it just shows that they do work.”
And he joked: “I got two tickets because I thought that if next door was going to win I might as well have more than them.
“I can’t even say it was one for me and one for the other half. It just didn’t seem that expensive to have two, to be fair. I just thought that if I was going to win I might as well double up.”
Jonas now has his heart set on getting a hive of bees and making his own honey.
He has longed to make his own honey after quitting his London hospital job to return home after 30 years.
Jonas said: “I’ve wanted to keep bees. When I left London, I was like, ‘I’m going up north and going to have a beehive and have my own honey.'”
He added: “I know that sounds really old and sad, but I always just wanted to keep bees. I will now.”
Jonas also said how he’s already in the process of buying a new semi-detached house after moving back home to The Wirral to start work at a local hospital – while husband AJ continues to commute to the capital.
He said: “I was working in London and moved back up here. I’ve just found a house to move into, so everything is heading in the right direction. This is an added bonus.
“The first thing I’m going to do when we move is decorate. This will help a lot.
“I can decorate the house in the way I’d like to rather than decoration I’m compromising on.
“This is going to change quite a lot of things. It will change our lives.”
Jonas revealed he only signed up in June and plays with two tickets.
He said, “I’ve only been playing for about three months since I lived here. I didn’t really expect to win – and certainly not so soon. But it won’t stop me from continuing to play.
“I know people must say it will never happen to them. It wasn’t something I was doing to win, which sounds really stupid, but I’m really glad I did now.
How to play the People's Postcode Lottery?
For just £12 a month, players can sign up through the official website to have a chance of winning millions of pounds.
Once signed up, players are automatically entered into every draw and prizes are announced every day of each month.
Tickets play for the Daily Prize, worth £1000 and revealed every single day.
Tickets could also win a jackpot of £30,000 for Saturday and Sunday’s Street Prize draws.
People’s Postcode Lottery also offers a £3million Postcode Millions draw each month – where your ticket plays for a share of the cash prize fund.
Winners are notified by email, text, post, or phone call, depending on the prize they win.
Jackpot winners are visited by the lottery team in person.
“I never thought it would happen. It happens to other people. It’s a big country with lots of postcodes.”
He added: “It’s really nice to win with neighbours. Everyone knows everybody else here and it’s nice to share it.”
Jonas said the charity aspect of playing People’s Postcode Lottery was the main driver for him.
He said: “I never win anything, I just thought I would help out local charities. It’s something I could do to give something back.”
Now he dreams of returning to South Africa where he spent a month in his youth and travelling around Europe with his hubby of two years.
He said: “We’ll have a holiday… relax. I’d like to travel round Europe together.
“I went to South Africa as a child and I’ve always wanted to go back. I went to Johannesburg but didn’t get down to the coast at the time. I stayed for a month with friends who lived there, but I ran out of time for the coast.”
And hubby AJ might get the big TV he’s been wanting.
Jonas said: “We don’t have a telly at the moment. Just because it is expensive and way down there on my list. I won’t be able to argue against it now.”