All my neighbours scooped £83,000 on the Postcode Lottery – but I DOUBLED my winnings due to nifty trick
A LUCKY homeowner was left stunned when she and her neighbours won the lottery and she got a much larger portion.
Julie Wilson-Homewood from Barnham, West Sussex, was in disbelief when someone knocked on her door and handed her a cheque worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Just days before Christmas, Julie won £166,666 with the People’s Postcode Lottery.
She was one of nine neighbours with the same postcode to win a tidy sum this week.
The £1m Millionaire Street prize was gifted to players with the postcode PO22 0DQ.
But, thanks to a key decision by Julie she was able to double her winnings while her neighbours received £83,333 – the price of each winning ticket.
She must have been feeling extra lucky as Julie decided to buy two tickets for the lottery and so she won twice.
Julie told the People’s Postcode Lottery officials: “It’s incredible, I still can’t quite believe it.”
The mum explained how the windfall has opened up doors for their family, most notably her daughter Torie who runs a wool-based clothing business called Feral Fibres.
“I’m just so happy because I know that things are also going to change for Torie now,” she said.
“We could get her some sheep of her own. That could be something down the line that might happen.”
Torie and her tearful mum accepted the cheque together while Julie’s husband Paul was at work.
“I was in disbelief that it could happen, and then when I saw all the Postcode Lottery red jackets, I messaged my husband and said, ‘It’s real!'” Julie recalled.
As well as helping out with her daughter’s business, Julie is also hoping to go on holiday with Paul.
She said: “We’re not holiday people, but I do think we will be going back to Scotland.
“I think that will definitely be on the cards next year. Shetland is on my bucket list.”
She added that she would also love to see the Northern Lights in Norway and help her car mechanic husband retire.
“He deserves it. This is for him too,” she said.
LUCKY LADIES
The other neighbour who was left in shock was Diane Daughtrey who had just returned home from a night shift when she found out she was a winner.
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.
She had a similar tactic to Julie by playing multiple tickets.
Diane managed to triple her winnings to a whopping £249,999 after playing with three tickets.
“I’m gobsmacked and a little overwhelmed. It’s really caught me by surprise,” she told lottery officials.
The windfall will be going towards travels, her two children, and towards herself.
Despite the shocking win, it seems that Marshall Close is a lucky spot as residents of that street have won on the Postcode Lottery before.
Many of them are the same winners as this round with Julie having previously won £2,000 with two tickets that were worth £1,000 each.
“We didn’t want to give up playing because you know it’s going to continue to help charities, and there is that little bit in the back of your mind that says, ‘Well, it can happen’,” the lucky lady said.