Lucky postcode sees four Portsmouth neighbours scoop £25,000 each

The group of neighbours, who all live in Milverton House, in Cottage Grove, Southsea, say the windfall has been life-changing.

They won the prize as part of the People’s Postcode Lottery’s Saturday Street Prize last weekend, when their postcode – PO5 1EJ – was drawn as the winner.

June Kloppers said she still couldn’t believe she had won.

The 50-year-old said: ‘I just can’t believe it’s happened to me. I’m still trying to let it all sink in but I keep asking myself if it’s real – it’s wonderful.

‘My kids are teenagers so I’ll use a bit of this to help them out, especially my son Dexter who’s buying his first house. To be honest, the win couldn’t have come at a better time.

‘I’ll be telling all my neighbours to sign up now – people think ‘if only’, but if it happened to me, it could happen to anyone.’

Bus driver John Hopkins is already making plans for the money.

The 62-year-old said: ‘When they pulled the £25,000 cheque out of the envelope it was such a big surprise – I was gobsmacked – it didn’t feel real.

‘I don’t think it will sink in until I see it sitting in my bank account. Although, it is beginning to hit me now that I have won.

‘This might be perfect for a deposit on a house.’

Other winners of this week’s prize in Southsea included Theresa Oliff and Sarah Armstrong. All four winners live in the same apartment building.

Tickets for the lottery cost £10 per month for 10 draws, with cash prizes up for grabs every single day.

The lottery raises money for charity – more than £113.8m to date for good causes across Great Britain and internationally.

The John Pounds Community Trust in Portsea received more than £19,000 earlier this year.

Matt Mason, centre director at John Pounds Community Trust, said: ‘It is amazing.

‘The award will allow us to buy inclusive and accessible equipment for our clients with disabilities or mobility issues.

‘It also means we’ve been able to hire an instructor to work specifically with those clients which is great, not just for us, but for the entire community.’

For more information go to postcodelottery.co.uk.

Main Picture: Theresa, June, Sarah and John with PPL ambassador Danyl Johnson