Excitement In Eastbourne

There are no back-to-school blues for one lucky group of Eastbourne families this week when they discovered they had won a share of £230,000. Instead, it's holidays galore.

The players all live in postcode sector BN23 8. They discovered this week that their postcode had been drawn, winning them a total of £230,000. What's more, with only 15 players in the winning postcode area there were rich happy faces all round.

Yet it was 64-year-old Janice Vincent who had the biggest smile. As the sole player living in the full winning postcode, BN23 8DY, Janice scooped the lion's share of the prize with her three tickets. Speaking about her £115,473 win, Janice just couldn't believe it.

"I am in complete shock," she said. "It has come at such a good time, as my husband Mark has only just begun a new job after being out of work, so things have been pretty tight recently."

As well as paying off some of her debts, Janice has a large family that she intends to spoil. She said, "I have four children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, so I think there may be some extra special Christmas presents this year."

Janice and husband Mark's 14-year-old granddaughter currently lives with them, and will accompany the couple on their forthcoming holiday to Norfolk. Janice said, "We are heading to a holiday park in the area, where everything is included in the price. Our win will allow us to leave the park, do a bit of exploring in the local area, and pick up a few souvenirs to give to the rest of the family."

A further 14 players in the winning postcode scooped prizes. 11 residents won £6,792 and three lucky players scooped £13,584 for their two tickets. One of the lucky ones who scooped the bigger prize was 52-year-old Ann Crabb. Ann has been working with children with special needs as a Residential Night Care Officer for over 34 years.

"It's like a dream, but it's real, if you understand what I mean,” laughed Ann, who has only been playing the lottery for a month. "It has made my day, I have never won anything before. My Dad passed away eight weeks ago, so my sister and I have a holiday in Rhodes in a couple of weeks to have a break and just relax for a bit. The winnings can certainly pay for a couple of day trips!

"And then I would love to go back to the Dominican Republic - I've visited it four times already and have so many friends there. I will certainly be using the winnings to treat myself to a holiday in January next year, just after my birthday."

The holiday vibe is certainly catching, as one of the other winners, Yvonne Isted, also has trips away on her mind.

"I can finally make my dream of visiting Canada a reality," said 75-year-old Yvonne. "My friend has already visited and I would love to see how beautiful it must be with the autumn leaves and beautiful colours. I also absolutely love trains, so taking a train ride through the Rockies would be an unbelievable experience."

The retired seamstress is also jumping on a train much closer to home. This week, she heads to the beautiful coastal town of Pittenweem to visit friends.

People's Postcode Lottery ambassador Scott Quinnell said, "Congratulations to Janice and to the other 14 players who won a share of the £230,000 prize. It is fantastic when communities win together like this. I hope they all have a wonderful time spending their winnings."

Players of People's Postcode Lottery have raised over £19.6 Million for charities and good causes to date. For this particular draw, players raised over £36,000 for Oxfam, the leading UK charity that fights poverty locally and globally.

Scott added, "Charities such as Oxfam are doing such vital work and create a real lifeline for people both here and across the world. A huge thank you to players of People's Postcode Lottery."