A WOMAN who bagged £181,000 on the People’s Postcode Lottery has said she would have left with nothing if a colleague hadn’t won just a few weeks before.
Ann and her neighbours stopped the traffic as they performed a conga line in the street to celebrate their good fortune.
The occupational therapist assistant, along with eight neighbours in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, were in the money when their DN15 8DL won the weekly Millionaire Street prize.
Every ticket was worth £90,909, but Ann and another player each banked £181,818 because they played with two tickets.
Ann – who has been planning her retirement – said, “I feel sick. I don’t know what to do with myself. I don’t know what to say. This is absolutely amazing. My watch heart monitor is at 113bpm. You’ve made my day.
“I joined because Postcode Lottery donate to so many great charities. A colleague’s street also won, and I just thought that you can’t win it if you don’t play.
“I had been playing with two postcodes at previous addresses, then changed them both to this address when I moved here a year ago.”
She added: “This is life-changing for me, very much so. You’ve just opened up a new world for me. I think my face says it all. I’m shocked, but so grateful and thankful.
“I think the most I’ve won before was £17 at my mum’s bingo. I’ve got a lot of thinking to do, but I’ve got a nice retirement in front of me now.”
Now Ann intends to treat her mum, Doris, to a special holiday before planning her own dream breaks.
She said, “There will probably be a little treat for me and mum. She wants to go to America.
“I’ve got a list as long as my arm – like the Maldives, Barbados, the Bahamas, you name it – anywhere sunny with a beach. And I can do it now.
“I won’t do it first class because then I can go to a lot more places.
Then, with a big smile, she added: “Maybe I’ll do one trip first class just to say that I’ve done it.”
She launched into the street conga line after revealing she’d once led the novelty dance at a funeral at which she officiated.
Ann, who runs her own firm One Life Ceremonies, said, “At one funeral, the man wanted a song to make everyone cry and another to make everyone laugh.
“I got everyone to join a conga line and we conga’d round the coffin.
“At another service, I put on some leggings, baseball cap and big black sunglasses and did a rap at the family’s request.
“Of course funerals are sad. But I think you can have laughter through the tears.
“Everyone has had some fun in their life. If you can’t bring some humour into the service…”
She added, “I’m happy for everyone that won. I don’t think I’ve smiled so much in ages.”
Also winning on the same street as Ann was Peter Nicholson who won £90,000 and he revealed how he was initially a little worried after landing the prize.
