Loads Of Loot For Scarborough, Wirral And Plymouth

Three lucky sets of winners are rolling in dough this weekend, as the May Postcode Millions has landed in YO11 3JG, and every ticket in CH62 8JE and PL3 5AE has won £25,000 in the Saturday Street Prize.

A Scarborough grandad of five was left speechless today after his postcode, YO11 3JG, was announced as the May Postcode Millions winning postcode, scooping him a whopping £333,333, less than six months after signing up to play.

Nigel Howard, 70, attended the Postcode Millions celebration in the seaside town with his wife Sandra. Nigel said, "This is life changing! This win means I can look after my family now, none of us will have any worries, everything is sorted."

Nigel retired last year from a career which covered catering businesses, restaurants and property development. Nigel, who originally trained as a chef, was presented with a cheque in the first instance for just over £4,000. Nigel said, "I felt a little sick when my original cheque was ripped up right in front of me. I was delighted with £4,000, but I'm now so happy that she did tear it up, as I've got this amazing cheque instead!"

Thanks to playing with the full winning postcode, which was revealed at the celebration, Nigel plans to pay off his mortgage and treat his family with his winnings. Nigel said, "I just can't describe how I feel. Even though you play it, you just think it'll never happen in Scarborough – and it has!"

Nigel and Sandra have two children, a son, Paul, and a daughter, Rachel, and five grandchildren who were all delighted to hear of the win. Nigel's son Paul, said, "My Dad really deserves this. He's worked hard all his life, and everything he has, he has had to graft for. I couldn't be any happier than I am today for my Dad."

Although Sandra claimed that she and Nigel aren't the luckiest people, Nigel thinks that their luck changed recently after a trip to Tenerife. Nigel said, "We holiday in Tenerife every year, and I popped into a local shop to buy Sandra a handbag and got chatting with the shop assistant. Before we left the store, she decided that we needed a little bit of extra luck so presented us with a lucky stone.

"I've been carrying it in my wallet ever since returning from our trip three weeks ago. Since then, we have won £2,700 on a horse at York Races and have now scooped this whopping prize pot."

A second player, who was also playing with the full winning postcode, won a cheque for £666,666, but chose to remain anonymous.

One winner, Sarah Ryan, 47, had already scooped £4,132 during the event before discovering she had also won a brand new BMW 1 Series.

The event saw 239 residents in the winning postcode sector YO11 3 share a £2 Million prize pot, with prizes ranging from £826 to £666,666. Those living in the full winning postcode won the lion's share of the prize pot.

People's Postcode Lottery ambassador, Judie McCourt, who was the lucky lady handing out the cheques to the delighted winners from Scarborough said, "It's been a fantastic day here in Scarborough. I can't believe we've just given away £2 Million! What a great start to the weekend for the people of Scarborough. Congratulations to all our lucky winners, but especially Nigel!"

It's not just players who win by playing People's Postcode Lottery. As a charity lottery, over £69.2 Million has been awarded to charities and good causes. The winners' celebration saw a number of supported charities in attendance, including Girlguiding, Depaul UK, Riding for the Disabled Association, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, Missing People, WaterAid and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

Sarah Brewer, Fundraising and Communications Officer at Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, said, "I was so excited to attend the Postcode Millions event in Scarborough, and I loved seeing everyone's reactions when their cheques were revealed! It was a wonderful opportunity to meet some of the players and to say a huge thank you for their ongoing support. Players of People's Postcode Lottery have awarded £601,332 to Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, enabling us to make a lasting difference across the region, with projects including education and outreach, habitat conservation and restoration, and apprenticeship schemes for young people, to name just a few."

A dream trip around America is on the cards for this week's second winner, as Graham Ashworth in Wirral has won £25,000 in the Saturday Street Prize.

Graham was elated to discover that his postcode, CH62 8JE, was drawn as a winner. "This doesn't happen to people like me," he said.

Graham, 52, was at home with his wife Mandy and his children when he was presented with the cheque. "I was almost in tears when I saw all the zeros on the cheque," he said. "I just can't believe it."

Graham, who works as a quality control inspector for Vauxhall, knows exactly how he would like to spend his winnings.

"We've been planning a trip across the USA for a while," he said. "Mandy and I and our two children, Jade and Danny, would love to hire an RV van and drive from the East Coast to the West for around three weeks. We've wanted to do it for a while, but other things would always crop up. Next year, we can definitely do it," said an excited Graham.

Graham and family wasted no time celebrating the win. "As soon as I was presented with my cheque, we all headed out to the garden and brought the champagne with us," he said. "My neighbours joined us, although they were gutted they didn't play, as they would have won too. They've signed up now though."

Graham has been playing People's Postcode Lottery since 2013. "I find it really easy to play," he said. "I love People's Postcode Lottery because I can support local charities by playing."

Our third winner story this week features a pleased-as-punch People's Postcode Lottery player who can't believe her luck after she won £25,000. Her postcode, PL3 5AE, in Plymouth, was drawn as a winner in this week's Saturday Street Prize.

Lisa Hayman, 49, was at home with her husband Rod when she was surprised by People's Postcode Lottery ambassador and rugby star Scott Quinnell. "This is amazing," she said. "This is the first time I've won anything."

Lisa, a homecare assistant for a hospice, decided to sign up last year, but almost missed out on winning. "I recently moved house, so I still played with my old postcode," she said. "It's been on my list for weeks to update my ticket to my new postcode, but I never got round to it – thank goodness!"

While she's still getting to grips with her win, Lisa has an idea of how to spend the cash. "I'd really like to buy a caravan so our family can all get together more often for holidays," she said. "We have two grown-up sons who have their own families now. Ideally, I'd love to get a caravan in Cornwall."

Scott Quinnell said, "It was fantastic to meet Lisa and present her with her £25,000 cheque. She was very lucky to have kept her old postcode. I hope she gets a caravan for her whole family to enjoy."

There was one other winner in the lucky Plymouth postcode who was not available when the team called. Their winnings will be deposited directly into their bank account.

Players have raised over £69.2 Million for charities and good causes across Great Britain and internationally.

One supported project local to Graham in Wirral is Restart Trust, which was awarded £2,000 from players. The charity delivers training, volunteering and employment opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds – many of whom face multiple barriers to finding and sustaining employment.