Thrilled In Thornaby

One thrilled Thornaby winner was delighted this weekend after winning £60,000 thanks to People's Postcode Lottery.

The Briar Road resident, who plays with postcode TS17 8NF, won the first of this weekend's Street Prizes.

Albert Hamilton was shocked to win £60,000 after only a few months of playing. "I can't believe it," he said. "It was definitely a good decision to sign up."

Albert, who plays with two tickets, was surprised by Street Prize Presenter Judie McCourt who presented him with his cheque. "The team were really lovely," he said. "This money will make things easier."

With two children and five grandchildren, retired driver Albert and his wife Beverley have a lot of people to treat with the money. "We're really going to think about how to spend the winnings, we're still getting our heads round it," he said. "We would like to go to Malta on holiday."

Judie McCourt said, "I really enjoyed meeting Albert today and getting to show him how much he'd won. I'm sure he and his family will put the money to good use. Sign up to play today and I could be knocking on your door soon."

A minimum of 30% of the ticket price goes directly to charities. Players of People's Postcode Lottery have raised more than £175 Million to date for good causes across Great Britain and internationally.

A project near Thornaby that has received support from players is Focus on Vision CIC, which was awarded £2,000 last year to promote social inclusion for the public benefit of visually impaired people in the Tees Valley.

There were also a celebrations in nearby Hartlepool this weekend, as the second Street Prize was won by 10 lucky players in postcode TS27 4BF.