Carmarthen Millionaire Street

Isara Panicker will help dad Simon pay for a crossing to ensure the family farm doesn’t get cut off when the river rises.

The mum-of-one, from Cwrt Henri in Carmarthenshire, said: "We need to build a bridge at the farm. When the river rises, it's not easy to cross. I promised dad we'd get it done one day and now we finally can."

“It's definitely better to drive over a bridge than through a river!”

She added: “At first, I thought maybe £1,000, which would have been amazing. But £250,000? I was just overwhelmed. Absolutely overwhelmed.”

Isara and three neighbours in the hamlet shared our weekly £1 Million Millionaire Street prize when SA32 8SJ was announced as the winner today. Each winning ticket was worth £250,000.

Isara told how she signed up never expecting to win, but her motivation came from her mum, Suzie.

Isara said: “My mum worked for Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, which got funding from the Postcode Lottery. She told me about all the projects that were made possible because of the lottery funding.

“I joined to support causes like that but didn’t ever think about actually winning a prize.”

But it's not just the farm that will benefit. Isara’s six-year-old son Fraser is also in for a treat: a jaw-dropping 9,000-piece Lego model of the Titanic priced at a cool £589.

She said: “Fraser's really into Lego at the moment and he wants the Lego Titanic set. They take up a lot of space, but he’ll definitely get something.”

Fraser smiled and added: “It's one of the biggest Lego sets in the world!”

For Isara, though, it’s all about family. The farm has been shaped by her dad's hands, planting thousands of trees to turn it into a self-sufficient haven. From orchards to boreholes, it's a labour of love. The bridge will be the next piece of that legacy.

Isara said: “It's more than just wood and stone, the farm is completely self-sufficient. It’s a messy paradise.

“I’ll definitely be talking to Dad about what kind of bridge we need. He’s the one who uses it most, and this will make a real difference for him and for the farm.”

Though practical plans are top of the list, Isara admits there will be fun too. She, her husband Anish and Fraser will soon travel to Asia.

She said: “We're heading to India in November, so it'll be lovely to enjoy that trip without worrying about pocket money.”

And winning alongside neighbours in her small rural community has made it all the more special. Isara said: “It's fantastic - it’ll put a smile on so many faces here. And that’s the best part of all.”

Another farm up the road also experienced a winning feeling, with Susan Childs also landing a £250,000 prize.

Susan says the win is made ‘extra special’ as she's won alongside her mother-in-law Joyce Childs, her tenant Julie, and her farming neighbour Isara.

Susan said: “My mother-in-law has won, my tenant and my neighbour too. So, to win with them, there's something special about it. I didn’t think we’d each be winning £250,000. I thought it would be shared between us.”

Stunned Susan had a few ideas of how she’ll spend some of her winnings. She said: “We’re supposed to be going to New Zealand next year, so I think some of the money will go towards that. The rest, I have no idea at the moment - it's a bit of a shock. I have got three grandsons, so they'll probably be treated a bit as well for Christmas.”

The trip to New Zealand will be full of celebrations, as Susan and husband Colin have been invited to the wedding of a family friend.

She said: “We’ll probably travel all over New Zealand now with this money. We could possibly even fly business class.”

Susan’s tenant, retired nurse Julie Carter, also scooped £250,000 which she says has set up the retirement she and husband Steve always dreamed of - complete with luxurious holidays across the world and a brand-new kitchen.

Julie, who spent over 42 years in nursing, described the win as ‘living a dream’ and said: “I thought it was a dream. We never thought we would ever win big on Postcode Lottery. But now, this is the retirement we dreamt of.”

Julie said: “The biggest thing we’ll do is go to the Maldives just after Christmas. We've always wanted to go there. Lots of holidays, little breaks away, help our family and spoil our friends - that's the plan.”

And the couple are wasting no time. Their first getaway is already booked: a trip to Spain this week to start the celebrations.

She said: “We're going to Spain for a week. We’ll eat in better places, enjoy it, and think about what's next. And we won’t feel guilty spending a bit now!”

She added: “I’d like to go to New York – Steve's not so keen, but he’ll have to go! Then Lake Garda, Menorca, and so many other places we can go.”

Julie admitted she nearly cancelled her ticket just weeks ago. However, something made her stick with it.

She said: “We almost gave it up. We thought about [it], but we didn’t hit that button. And thank goodness we didn’t!”

The neighbours’ win also means local charities have benefitted from thousands of pounds of support thanks to Postcode Lottery players.

And one organisation, National Botanic Garden of Wales, has received £80,000.

The charity is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge in the science of plants and the conservation of plant species, especially in Wales. And they are the custodians of significant collections and heritage assets for Wales.

Its aim is to enhance understanding of the interaction of people, plants, landscape and the environment in a sustainable future.

Dr Lucy A Sutherland, Director, said: “We are deeply grateful. Thank you to all the players of People's Postcode Lottery for this wonderful support.

“This generous funding will support our Every Child in Wales initiative, enabling our educators to take their expertise beyond the Garden walls, working with young people and teachers across Wales to connect every child with plants and spark curiosity and a lifelong passion for nature and science.”

Other charities benefitting from this week’s Millionaire Street prize include:

Carmarthen Youth Project - £50,000

Carmarthen Youth Project run a youth drop-in centre called Dr M’z. They work with hundreds of young people every year and offer a wide variety of projects including volunteering, cooking and digital literacy.

St Davids Diocesan Council for Social Responsibility: Plant Dewi - £50,000

Supporting families in their community to help bring positive changes into their lives. They provide open-access services with a range of activities such as parent talks, baby groups and crafts.

Deserving Projects

Today's prize is part of a draw promoted on behalf of Postcode Planet Trust. Supported by our players, this trust has a mission to support the environment and the enjoyment of nature. Postcode Planet Trust supports charities such as The Wildlife Trusts, Blue Marine Foundation and WWF-UK

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

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