Ecstatic Southsea neighbours win £154,000 on People’s Postcode Lottery just days after signing up

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Ecstatic neighbours Connor Ralls and Emma Down won £154,000 each on People’s Postcode Lottery just as they were about to cancel their subscriptions – days after signing up.

The Southsea pair joined after seeing adverts for the lottery’s £17.5 million December Millions draw – the biggest ever - and planned to cancel after it. But they were both left stunned when they and five other neighbours landed January’s ‘An Unforgettable Year’ prize of £12,000 a month for a year, plus a bonus £10,000 - and have now vowed to keep playing.

Connor, 31, said: “I joined the lottery in November with the intention of playing in December after I saw the adverts for the big prize. Then I had every intention of cancelling it.”

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He added: “I’ve only played twice. What a great investment!”

The Castle Road winners of the People's Postcode LotteryThe Castle Road winners of the People's Postcode Lottery
The Castle Road winners of the People's Postcode Lottery | Contributed

Emma, 46, who lives a few doors away, said: “I’ve only been playing a month. I was only going to do it for Christmas to get vouchers to share with me and my friends, then I was going to quit. Now I’ll keep playing.

“My mum has been playing for 10 years, but she’s happy for me.”

It comes as their Castle Road postcode PO5 3AY – yards from where superstar comedian and actor Peter Sellers was born - won January’s ‘An Unforgettable Year’ draw on Friday, January 17. Every player banked £12,000 a month for a year, plus an extra £10,000.

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Now NHS health care support worker Emma is bursting with plans for the future and started reeling off what she would do with each month’s win. But her first step is to renew her almost expired passport for her first break since the Covid pandemic.

Emma Down won £154,000 on People’s Postcode LotteryEmma Down won £154,000 on People’s Postcode Lottery
Emma Down won £154,000 on People’s Postcode Lottery | Contributed

She said: “The last holiday I had was in 2020 and I got locked down in Goa, which wasn’t as good as you might think. I ended up being there for nearly six weeks and had to be repatriated.

“My passport has been sitting in a drawer and has nearly expired in that time, so I’m going to get a new passport. It’s my friend’s birthday later in the year and we want to go to Vegas. I’ve not had a holiday for five years, so wherever I go it’s going to be a big one.

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“I’d like a big holiday for my 50th to Florida and New Orleans. I was supposed to start saving in January towards that, but it is there now. Let’s go first class on the plane. That has always been my dream. It’ll be a first-class holiday definitely.”

Kind-hearted Emma also has plans to move out of her one-bedroom attic flat to a bigger place – and help family.

She said: “This is life changing. I’ve never had my own property, I’ve always rented. I’ll maybe buy somewhere now. There’s not enough room for my boyfriend to live here, so I’d like a bigger place, and he can have his kids to stay.

“I’ll talk to my mum and dad and see what they want. They like Morocco and my mum would like another cruise.”

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Emma had originally ignored the call from Postcode Lottery telling her she’d won – then Googled the missed number at the bus stop as she travelled to work, before calling back.

She said: “After that I was apprehensive, anxious and excited thinking about what I could have won but not wanting to get my hopes up too much. But this is actually real. I’m shocked because it’s still sinking in. My head is buzzing at the moment.”

Connor Ralls won £154,000 on People’s Postcode LotteryConnor Ralls won £154,000 on People’s Postcode Lottery
Connor Ralls won £154,000 on People’s Postcode Lottery | Contributed

Further along the street, stunned Connor started weeping when his concertina cheque was unfurled. The IT firm purchaser said: “This is absolutely insane; I can’t believe it.”

Now Connor will use the cash to carry out repairs at his stylish flat, upgrade a Greek isle holiday he’s planning with his girlfriend and get a swankier camper van to replace his 25-year-old VW T4.

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The former gymnast said: “We’ve booked flights to Kefalonia but haven’t got accommodation. There’s a big difference between cheap and expensive. We’ll now go all out for it.

“My camper van has been broken down for months and is in the process of being repaired. I’m now tempted to get a better one. We’ve always talked about going travelling in Europe with the van. In the one I have, if you sit up in bed you hit your head.”

Richard Stidolph picks up the People's Postcode Lottery prize for wife CaroleRichard Stidolph picks up the People's Postcode Lottery prize for wife Carole
Richard Stidolph picks up the People's Postcode Lottery prize for wife Carole | Contributed

A few doors away, Richard Stidolph also collected a cheque for £154,000 on behalf of wife Carole - then told how it will help with a planned six-month holiday of a lifetime.

Landlord Richard, 61, and NHS manager Carole, 62, are set to retire later this year before jetting off on their dream break in June.

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The father-of-four said: “We’ve been planning to retire for some time, but this will make it extra special.”

They are also set to fly to Australia and New Zealand to catch games in the British and Irish Lions international rugby tour. From there they are planning a trip across Asia – starting from Japan’s capital Tokyo to Beijing in China – before taking in sights across Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Richard said: “With this we can bring the family out to meet us for Christmas and we’ll come back in the New Year.

“This is amazing. It makes it an incredible trip now and we’ll be able to help the children out, too. It’s spot-on timing with us retiring.”

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People’s Postcode Lottery costs £12 a month to play and there are guaranteed winners every day. People play with their chosen postcode and are automatically entered into all draws. Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised more than £1.4 billion for thousands of charities and local good causes.

Prizes include ‘Millionaire Street’ - £1 million every Saturday - £30K on Sundays and a multi-million pound prize is won each month.

To find out more, visit www.postcodelottery.co.uk.

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