Greatstone Millionaire Street

Ex-Army officer Paul Salt says his fortunes have turned after he spent five weeks fearing he'd lose his wife Kay in a Tenerife hospital last year.

The grateful grandfather, who previously won £3,000 with People's Postcode Lottery in November 2018, has also survived a near-fatal heart attack in recent years. Paul, of Greatstone in Kent, said: “You never think you're going to win. When I won £3,000, I was really chuffed, but I really wasn't expecting £115,383. It's just brilliant!"

He added: “It was a really bad year for us with my wife being so poorly. So, this has really lifted us - and it’s not a bad way to start 2026.”

Paul was among 19 people on Meehan Road to share our £1 Million Millionaire Street prize when TN28 8NZ was announced as the winning postcode today. Each winning ticket was worth £38,461. The biggest winner pocketed £153,844, thanks to playing with four tickets. Paul trebled his win to £115,383 with three tickets. And two others held two tickets each, doubling their wins to £76,922.

Paul, who served for 25 years in the 1st Battalion of The Queen's Lancashire Regiment, is now the manager of New Romney Holiday Park. He was left stunned when a lottery crew turned up at his work. He said: “I knew the Postcode Lottery were coming because they rang me and said I'd won something, but they kept the amount I'd won a secret.

“You just don’t think it’ll ever happen to you – until it does.”

In June, Paul’s wife Kay became critically ill just two days into their Tenerife holiday. She ended up in a coma with Influenza A, more commonly known as bird flu, along with COVID, leaving Paul terrified. He said: “The worst thing was I dropped her off at the hospital and you were only allowed to visit for one hour each day. I walked in the next day and there's Kay in a coma on a ventilator.”

They spent five and a half weeks abroad while doctors fought to save Kay, before she was finally flown home by air ambulance.

Kay added: “After everything we’ve both been through, this is just unbelievable. It’s just wonderful.”

Amazingly, Paul and Kay have booked the same holiday they never got to enjoy, and Paul will also treat their family to a trip picked by Kay herself.

Paul said: “We’ve booked the same hotel and room in Tenerife. We’re really looking forward to it. We’ll have a holiday with the kids – somewhere Kay wants to go. I’ve been in the forces 20 odd years, I’ve seen everywhere. Now it’s her turn.”

The excited couple were eager to tell their daughters - Natalie and Rebecca - and their five grandchildren about their massive windfall.

He said: “They’ll be chuffed. We always help them out, but this means we’ll be able to do a bit more.”

Paul was delighted to hear that his colleague and friend of 16 years, John Gould had also scooped a prize of £38,461.

Paul said: “I’m really happy for him. He deserves it - he’s worked here for 42 years. It’s nice winning alongside your mates.”

John says he’s far from retiring - even after his big win.

He said: “I have been working because I need to, but now I’m working because I want to. I always say to Paul, ‘for all the time I enjoy it, all the time I can do it, and all the time they are paying me, I’m going to keep going’.”

Green-fingered John’s first purchase will be for his much-loved garden. He said: “I’ve got quite a big garden, and I’d like to get a sit-on mower instead of pushing it.”

Another £38,461 winner was Deanna Fernandez, who recently booked a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to China with her husband Gary and their son.

The mum-of-one said: “I’m so excited. I never win anything. It’s paid for our trip to China and some.

“My mate works for DialAFlight and we decided to just do it after putting money away every month. It’s so expensive, so it’s amazing to have that covered. We’ve never done a holiday like this.”

The family’s long-planned adventure across China will take them from Beijing to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macau.

She said: “We fly into Beijing, we’ve got a five-day tour booked to see the city, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors and then we catch a bullet train down to Shanghai. It’s going to be epic.”

She didn’t expect her son would want to come – until he realised the destination.

Deanna said: “He’s at uni, so we thought he wouldn’t be bothered, but it’s China - of course he wants to come!”

Deanna says the sense of community made the day even more special.

She said: “We walk the dog down this street every night - we know loads of our neighbours. It’s such a close-knit community, so finding out they’d all won too was brilliant. I had butterflies all morning. Our road is usually quiet, but today it’s been bustling. Everyone’s been wishing us luck and congratulating us. It’s just great.”

After years of putting herself last, Deanna’s finally planning something for her own enjoyment.

She said: “I don’t really treat myself anymore, so I’m going to have to fix that. There’s the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet just 20 minutes up the road, so I feel a bit of retail therapy coming.”

And the players’ wins mean that local charities have also benefitted.

Deserving Causes

Today's prize is part of a draw promoted on behalf of Postcode Children Trust which supports organisations including Barnardo's, Daisy Chain, Magic Breakfast and NSPCC.

Players aren't the only ones who benefit from People's Postcode Lottery. A minimum of 30% of each ticket price goes to charities and good causes. Thanks to our fantastic players, more than £1.5 Billion has been raised for thousands of deserving projects.

Not playing yet? Do you know about all the amazing Prizes our players can win? Learn about how People's Postcode Lottery works and sign up to play today.