A MUM-of-three landed £200,000 on the lottery just hours after five eerie words sealed her fate.
Jo Deighton from Shoreham, West Sussex, was left stunned after bagging nearly a quarter-of-a-million-pounds playing the People’s Postcode Lottery.
A total of £1 million was also shared among three of Jo’s neighbours after her postcode BN43 6JD won the weekly Millionaire Street prize today.
The mum leapt around the garden clutching her cheque while her hubby Tony wandered about with his hand over his mouth.
But Jo swears that her Greek-Cypriot Aunt Amalia saw the win coming in her coffee grounds long before the phone rang.
The lucky winner said that her Aunt had read the coffee grounds during breakfast, before uttering, “there’s money in my cup.”
Hours later, Jo was left gobsmacked after receiving a call telling her she’d won at least £1,000.
The overwhelmed mum-of-three said, “My aunt reads coffee cups. The morning I got the phone call from the lottery she read a cup at my mum’s and said, ‘There’s money in my cup’.
“My aunt said that even before I got the call. She tapped the cup and said there was money in it.
“I later found out that I had won at least a grand, so I knew there was some money coming in.”
The mum added: “This is beyond life-changing. It is just insane; I can’t believe it.”
Jo said her elderly aunt, who is currently visiting the UK from Cyprus, will be happy her prediction has come true for her and her hubby Tony.
The freelance business consultant said, “My aunt is good. I wouldn’t let her near my cup when I was a teenager because I didn’t want her finding out what I had been up to.”
She added, “She’ll be so thrilled for us. It’s my mum and dad I can’t wait to speak to. They’ve seen how hard we’ve worked.”
Every ticket in the prize haul was worth £200,000, but one player on Jo’s street doubled their winnings with two tickets.
Jo and Tony already have big plans for the money, with a dream to travel far with their 19-year-old son and 16-year-old twins.
The mum said: “We’ve always wanted a camper van. It is that going away on a whim, being able to have that spontaneity. I’d like a classic VW, but I know it’s not a practical choice.
“We could even take the kids to India. We travelled there lots when we were younger. We’ll have a think, but we’ll definitely be doing a big trip.
“You’ve got to see something of the world to give you some perspective. We can do all the sensible stuff and do all the crazy stuff as well.”
Jo started playing the People’s Postcode Lottery in February, when, unbeknownst to her, players half a mile away in Shoreham won a total of £1 million split between 12.
Twelve neighbours shared £1 million when BN43 6GD won in February.
Every ticket was worth £66,666, but three people doubled their prizes to £133,332 as they each played with two tickets.
People's postcode lottery players sign up with their postcode and pay £12 per month to play, according to the official website.
They are automatically entered into every draw and prizes are announced every day of the month.
Tickets play for prizes every day of the week – from Monday to Sunday, and a ticket could win £1,000 each day in the Daily Prize.
Tickets could also win a jackpot of £30,000 in Saturday and Sunday’s Street Prize draws.
People’s Postcode Lottery also offers a £3million Postcode Millions draw each month – and each ticket plays for a share of £3million cash prize fund.
Winners are notified via email, SMS message, mail or phone call depending on the prize they win.
Jackpot winners are visited by the lottery team in person.
Local charities have also benefited from Jo’s win, with Brighton charity Making It Out, which has supported 600 people moving on from prison, addiction or homelessness, receiving £40,000 in funding.
Mark Whaley, founder and CEO of Making It Out, said: “We had the idea for Making It Out whilst working in prisons for a number of years. We kept seeing familiar faces and desperately wanted to help those clearly struggling.
“The funding will be going towards restoring Buncton Barn – a 17th-century heritage threshing barn.
“Our service users will need to fully strip the barn down to its frame before creating new wooden beams to support the structure of the barn.
“After this restoration, it will be further improved by service users for our charity programmes and for the benefit of the wider community.”
