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Bexhill-on-Sea Millionaire Street
A great gran has bagged a £200,000 windfall with People’s Postcode Lottery and will fly first class to reunite with her son in Seattle.
Barbara Cartmel, who lives in a seaside apartment overlooking the English Channel, was left shell-shocked when she landed a share of a £1 Million prize.
Now Barbara plans to fly first class both ways to visit her son Brian in Seattle.
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Barbara will soon jet off to Seattle in styleBarbara, of Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, said: "I'm shaking like a leaf! It means I can go and see my son again and his family - that means the world to me."
She added: "In two words? Life-changing. I didn't think at my age I could be so excited about anything again. When you get to 80, you think you've seen everything and done everything."
Barbara and four of her neighbours shared People's Postcode Lottery’s £1 Million Millionaire Street prize when TN40 1LY was announced as today's winner. Each winning ticket was worth £200,000.
The great-grandmother of one says she never dreamt that such a windfall would land on her quiet stretch of coast.
Barbara said: "I imagined I’d maybe won £1,000, and I’d have been chuffed with that.
"Then this young lady from Postcode Lottery came to my door and I thought, well, that must mean it’s a bit more than that!
"But I never expected anything nearly as much as £200,000."
Barbara’s eldest son Brian lives in Seattle, USA, where he works for Microsoft. She’s visited before but she says the long flight and cost had made another trip seem impossible.
She said: “The last time I went out, I upgraded so I’d have a little cubicle to myself. I could lie down, watch my own television. But if I could do that both ways, I will go.”
Barbara is already joking that she might even fly first class this time and said: “If there’s any money left after I treat the family!”
Barbara was with husband Garry for 54 years before he sadly passed away in 2018, after living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Barbara said: “He was in the Navy for 24 years - a shipwright, a Chief Petty Officer. When he came out of the Navy, we opened a picture framing shop in Eastbourne. I had it for 20 years - it was called the Eastbourne Framing Centre. We had a wonderful time.”
Barbara’s family tree stretches far and wide. She has three sons - Steve, Tony, and Brian - and daughter, Laura. Between them, they’ve given her seven grandchildren and a great-granddaughter, who just turned one.
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Barbara couldn't believe her luck when she scooped the whopping winGrinning Barbara showed off a picture of her great-granddaughter and proudly said: “I think she’s the most beautiful baby that ever was born. But of course, I would, wouldn’t I?”
When Barbara realised how much she’d won, she wasted no time spreading the good news.
She said: “I phoned my daughter - but she was at work. She’s picking me up to go my hospital appointment later. Then I phoned my daughter-in-law and joked, ‘You’ll have to pay to speak to me now, I’m afraid!’”
Barbara’s planning to celebrate properly with a family dinner.
She said: “I’ll probably take all the family out for dinner to start with. The ones that are here anyway.”
When Barbara lands in Seattle, she already knows what she wants to do first. Son Brian has six acres of land and a John Deere mini tractor - and Barbara can’t wait to get back in the driver’s seat.
She said: “He taught me to drive it. I kept saying, ‘Can I go round again? Can I go round again?’ He even taught me how to dig a hole and then fill it in. I’ll be back on that tractor before long. It was so much fun!”
Brian’s property is also home to plenty of wildlife - including elk, deer and this year, even a bear.
Barbara said: “He’s building a natural swimming pool. I told him the first morning he gets up, there’ll be a bear swimming in it!”
Barbara’s home in Bexhill is filled with photographs - from her wedding day to family cruises and her husband’s Navy medals.
Looking around, she admits she’s still coming to terms with her luck.
The retired shop owner said: “It’ll probably sink in when the money hits my bank account. That’ll be the moment I think, ‘Wow, that really happened’.”
And while she’s thrilled for her neighbours, she says she’d have been happy even if she’d missed out.
Barbara said: “If they’d won without me, I’d have been happy for them - maybe a little envious. But for all five of us to win – bloody hell!”
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Local charity Warming Up The Homeless has benefitted too with £60,000 of fundingThe neighbours’ win also means local charities have benefitted from thousands of pounds of support thanks to Postcode Lottery players.
One organisation based in Bexhill-on-Sea, Warming Up The Homeless, has received £60,000 in funding.
The frontline charity supports homeless people in East Sussex. It serves as a bridge between people facing homelessness and official services, offering daily outreach, food banks and welfare support.
Chief executive Trudy Hampton-Hodges said: “This funding will change the lives of so many who are sleeping on the streets or living in emergency hostels or temporary accommodation.
“Warming Up The Homeless is extremely grateful to Postcode Lottery players for enabling us to receive this wonderful award.”
The rate of homelessness has increased exponentially, exacerbated further by the current cost of living crisis, affecting visible rough sleepers and more invisible homeless, such as sofa surfers and those without a fixed tenancy agreement.
The charity also runs an ‘Inclusive Volunteering’ programme, giving work experience to those who are often overlooked by society because of their disabilities.
Trudy added: “Our outreach services will continue seeing people on the streets and offering pathways out of homelessness. Our day centres will continue operating serving hundreds of people a day across East Sussex.
“It means we can continue to run our satellite food bank and our Homestart scheme for those moving from rough sleeping to a room in a shared accommodation.”
Other charities benefitting from this week’s Millionaire Street prize include:
Bexhill Museum - £30,000: An independent museum which collects, conserves and displays history and the natural environment of Bexhill-on-Sea and the surrounding areas.
The Pelham CIO- £30,000: A charity that benefits the community by providing and hosting activities and opportunities through its community hub, counselling service and youth work.
Churches Together in Bexhill/Bexhill Foodbank - £30,000: A food bank run in partnership with local churches, facilitated by Churches Together. Providing emergency food and support to people in need.
The Bexhill Caring Community - £30,000: Offering a variety of services for people who are housebound, elderly or lonely, including a free home library service and volunteer befrienders, as well as a Dial-A-Ride bus for trips around town.
Deserving Projects
Today's prize is part of a draw promoted on behalf of Postcode Community Trust. Supported by our players, Postcode Community Trust supports smaller charities and good causes in Wales to make a difference to their community for the benefit of people and planet.
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.
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