“I’ve never seen so much money in my life" Celebrations in Whittlesey as lucky postcode scoops £1m prize

A great-grandmother, teaching assistant and a young mum are among 29 neighbours celebrating winning a share of £1 million.

Stunned Joy Rowland, 86, says she’ll fix the garage door at her home in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire - while across the road Lorraine Daniels, 51, is heading to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, while, 26-year-old mum Charlotte Harris will use her winnings for an extension to her new house.

Joy said: “I’ve never seen so much money in my life. It’s fantastic that so many people on our street have won. It’s a lovely feeling I’ve got more than enough money now to mend my garage door.”

Joy and 28 neighbours shared the lottery’s weekly £1m Millionaire Street prize when their postcode, PE7 1RF, was announced as the winner on Saturday (August 2).

Each winning ticket was worth £28,571. Six of the winners doubled their prize to £57,142, thanks to playing with two tickets. Almost half of the 62 households on Yarwells Headland play the lottery.

It’s not the first time Postcode Lottery have been spotted in the area – with the Millionaire Street prize landing in both Eastrea and March in the last two years.

Joy is now planning to replace her damaged garage door after taking a nasty fall last year.

In an attempt to protect her belongings from a leaky roof, Joy climbed a ladder in the middle of the night to empty a tray of rainwater but later ended up in hospital.

‘I’ve never seen so much money in my life’

She said: “It had been raining all night, so I climbed a ladder to empty a tray full of water. I fell off the ladder, and I hit the garage door on the way down. I lay injured on the floor for three hours.”

“I got the roof mended which cost me £2,500. Now I’ve got enough money to mend the garage door. They're so expensive, just over £1,000 that I was quoted.”

The widow, who lost husband Freddie 10 years ago, also suffered the tragic loss of her daughter Debbie, aged 43, a year earlier, after a three-year cancer battle.

Joy hasn’t decided what she’ll do with the rest of her cash windfall, but says she’ll treat her daughter Lisa Furneaux, two grandchildren Brandon and Alicia, and her one-year-old great-grandson Leo.

She said: “I’ll definitely treat my family, but they’ve all said I should spend it on myself.

“I look after myself and I have to look after them, but I never think they have to look after me.”

Daughter Lisa added: “I know she is my mum, but I couldn't think of anyone that deserves this win as much as her. She gives so much to all the family and never asks for anything in return apart from love.”

Joy also plans to further spoil her cocker spaniel Kizzy.

She said: “She absolutely is my soulmate. I didn’t want a dog, and then my granddaughter saw her on the internet. She’s just the best and I’m sure she’ll love a new toy.”

‘I’m going to Perth in Australia’

Another cheering neighbour was Lorraine Daniels, and she’s now planning an Australian adventure with her 15-year-old daughter Lotus.

Lorraine said: “I’m going to Perth in Australia, but I’m going to travel around because I don’t think I ever want to do that flight again, and that’s before I’ve even got on the plane.

“We’re gonna do lots of the Gold Coast, Whitsundays and see the Barrier Reef.”

Lorraine, who works as a teaching assistant at her daughter’s specialist learning school Meadowgate Academy, in Wisbech, also added: “It’s a lovely amount to win, and I can put some away in my savings, if I don’t spend it all in Australia.”

Mum-of-two Charlotte Harris also scooped £28,571 and landed the prize in the nick of time as she’ll soon move to a new postcode in Derbyshire.

She said: “I’m delighted to win but relieved at the same time. I’d have been so annoyed if I’d missed out as we’ve been planning to move house for 18 months.”

Now Charlotte is already planning to extend their new house to accommodate a playroom for her 20-month-old twins.

‘It’s a great community here’

She said: “It’s so much money and everything will be for them now. We can make a little extension and do a little playroom and stuff.”

Another £28,571 winner Veronica Jocelyn, 53, was delighted bag the windfall with her close friends and neighbours.

She said: “When I saw my two neighbours standing with me winning the same prize it was wonderful.”

Another neighbour Paul Hodgkin, 35, added: “It’s a great community here, we’re all together and it’s amazing to see everyone winning.”

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

Among those to benefit are disability living support service Dial Peterborough (£40,000), RSPB Nene Washes (£30,000), nurse-led specialist eating disorder charity based in Peterborough Personalised Eating Disorder Support (PEDS) (£40,000) and community-focused Peterborough charity Compas (£40,000).