Holidays, homes and a boob job: How Tyneside's postcode lottery winners planned to spend cash
by Gavin Havery · ChronicleLiveA countryside log cabin, family holidays and honeymoons and a boob job for a beauty therapist are dreams that are coming true for players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
There were 820 wins of £1,000 or more last year in Newcastle alone with a total of £11,132,303 won by Geordies. Now in its 20th year, the subscription-based lottery has raised over £1.4billion for good causes.
To enter, people register their postcode. pay £12 per month, and are automatically entered into all draws with prizes announced every day with a third of the ticket price going to support charities.
Ambassador Judie McCourt said: “As a local lass, I want to offer a huge congratulations to all our winners in Newcastle and the North East in 2024. Over £11 million was won by Geordies last year which is incredible, and I hope the players are enjoying spending their wins. Supporting charities and making a difference
“Charities and good causes are at the heart of People's Postcode Lottery. We help tell the charities' stories, share the incredible things that lottery funding enables and increase awareness of their work.
“Funding raised by players is bringing clean water to some of the world’s poorest communities, tackling loneliness and social isolation, ending youth unemployment, promoting the rights of women and girls, supporting those living with cancer and their families and protecting wildlife and habitats.
“So many fantastic charities and good causes have been helped thanks to player support, with over £1.4 billion being raised so far. All the best to everyone for the 2025 draws.”
Every Saturday a winning postcode shares a £1 Million Millionaire Street prize. The maximum prize per ticket is 10 per cent of the ticket sales for that draw, up to £500,000.
Last year, across Tyneside, in postcodes starting NE ,there were five Millionaire Street prize wins.
NE25 8RX - Whitley Bay
Paul Rendles, 64, decided to join the lottery when a social worker for his youngest daughter, who has disabilities, scooped a £400,000 windfall.
He and his wife, Elaine, 64, won a £166,666 share of the Millionaire Street prize last January.
When he was presented with his cheque, the grandad said: “Dreams do come true.
He shared the £1m jackpot with 10 neighbours in Whitley Bay, and every ticket was worth £83,333, but Paul doubled his pot with two.
The former foster parents planned to help their three children and three grandchildren – as well as treating themselves to a Mediterranean break.
Ex-midwife Elaine said: “We also haven’t had a holiday on our own for 22 years. We want to have a good time.”
NE5 4BA - Newcastle
Army veteran Alan Jones won £166,666 just 12 hours before moving home and almost cancelled his ticket.
The 56-year-old had intended to stop playing at the house he’d sold - then sign up when he bought a new property.
The delighted former Coldstream Guardsman shared the £1m jackpot with five neighbours in February.
The dad-of-one - who had just finished a nightshift as a security guard at Newcastle College when he found out - had been planning to move into his nephew’s home while he took his time viewing other properties to buy.
But he has always dreamed of a log cabin in the Northumberland countryside – and a holiday in Turkey and Greece.
He said: “I also told my son I’ll sort him out.”
NE33 4TH - South Shields
Beauty therapy student Ashley Laughton said she was planning a long-awaited honeymoon and a boob job after scooping £76,923 in May.
The 36-year-old had spent just £24 on the lottery since signing up two months earlier.
She and husband Colin, 52, who drives an HGV, shared the £1m pot with 10 neighbours in South Shields.
The mum-of-four said: “She said: “We can do stuff to the house, and I might get new boobs.”
Colin said: “It’s up to Ashley what we spend the money on. She did this. She’s my absolute soulmate.”
Ashley added: “I’m sure he’ll be happy when I get my boobs done.”
NE21 5GB - Blaydon
A mum bagged £111,111 in August and discovered the man she’d bought her house from still played with the address and had won too.
Christina Veitch, 33, joined Postcode Lottery two years ago after moving into the semi with her husband and two children.
But she was shocked to be reunited with the previous owner when he arrived back in the street to pick up his winning cheque after revealing he had continued to play with his old postcode.
Christina said: “This is surreal, but I’m happy for them too. It is nice to share this with someone else. It makes it unique and a bit of a different story.”
Christina and the other player shared £1m with seven neighbours in Blaydon in August with every ticket worth £111,111.
The other player said: “We moved away about two and a half years ago, but I decided to keep the ticket. It was just on the off chance that I won, and it looks like that’s happened. I didn’t think you’d be knocking at my old door.
“I’d recommend this to anyone. Always keep your ticket on the off chance.”
NE9 6PZ - Gateshead
Newly-weds Deborah Norris and Paul Gilroy pocketed a cool £333,332 in August.
The bumper payout came just weeks after finding out they had each landed £2,000 on the lottery’s Daily Prize in June while sunbathing in Gran Canaria on their honeymoon.
Deborah, 57, said: “When we won the first time within a month or two of joining, I thought that would be it and we should just cancel but Paul refused and here we are.
“We could have said enough’s enough after that first win eight years ago. Then we won £2,000 each in June. Even with those wins it’s been worthwhile. But we never, ever dreamed we’d end up with as much as this.”
The couple, who both work for the NHS, shared £1million with eight neighbours in Gateshead after NE9 6PZ landed Postcode Lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street prize, announced on Saturday, August 17. Every ticket was worth £83,333, but Deborah and Paul doubled their winnings with two tickets each.
Paul, 53, added: “You can’t win if you don’t play, and our life has just changed.”
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