Winning Scenes In Scarborough

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."