This is going to potentially be massive for the Isle of Wight economy as Islanders win a share of a £3m prize pot. Ed
Lucky players of People’s Postcode Lottery from the Isle of Wight have scooped an incredible £3million prize pot.
The players were presented with their winnings at an exciting cheque presentation held today (Saturday 27 February) at the glamorous Landguard Manor.
The winners from the Isle of Wight found out last week that their postcode PO30 1 was the winning postcode sector in People’s Postcode Lottery’s February Postcode Millions. It wasn’t until today that they finally found out that the full winning postcode was PO30 1JH.
Prizes ranged from £7,098 – £662,318
One extremely lucky winner was Pat Willis, 63, who played with the full winning postcode, which meant she scooped the lion’s share of the prize.
The event saw 112 residents in the winning postcode sector, PO30 1, share a £3 million prize pot, with prizes ranging from £7,098 – £662,318.
Pat, who attended the event with her husband Ken, 67, was delighted to walk away with a cheque for a phenomenal £331,159!
Pat, who recently retired from her role at St John’s Ambulance, initially won a cheque for £14,197 but was absolutely shell shocked to discover that she had won so much more.
She said,
“I’ve got four children, two girls and two boys, and this will make such a difference to not only our lives but also to theirs.
“We only signed up to play in January. I won £10 in my first month and now £331,159 in February, it is just absolutely amazing!”
Pat and Ken, who are born and bred on the Isle of Wight, are planning on a family holiday this year but haven’t quite decided where they are going to go and what else they’ll spend the money on.
Pat said,
“This money is here to be enjoyed, you never know what is around the corner in life so we’ve got to make the most of this.”
Other lucky winners
Two other lucky winners, who played with the full winning postcode, won amazing amounts. One winner also won £331,159 whilst the other player, who played with two tickets, won an incredible £662,318.
The winners, who were unable to attend the event today, have been contacted about their wins.
A family affair
The event was a family also a family affair with siblings Paul Shutler, 75, and Elaine McComb, 69 winning on the day. The brother and sister have eight other siblings on the island but they were the only two from the family to sign up and play.
Elaine, who plays with two tickets, won twice as much as her older brother Paul.
“All week I’ve been teasing Paul that I was going to win more than him and I have! I’ve won £28,394 and Paul has won £14,197.”
People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador, Danyl Johnson, who was delighted to hand out cheques to the winners from the Isle of Wight, said:
“It’s been an absolutely fantastic day, I’ve loved giving out the cheques to all the excited players and seeing their reactions. Massive congratulations to all the winners, especially Pat, I hope you all enjoy spending your winnings.”
Charities and good causes
It’s not just players who win by playing People’s Postcode Lottery – over £104.2million has been awarded to charities and good causes.
The winners’ celebration saw a number of supported charities in attendance including Riding for the Disabled Association, Girlguiding and Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust which is based locally on the Island.
Founder of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Dame Ellen MacArthur expressed her delight at players from the Isle of Wight scooping the big prize:
“Huge congratulations to all of the winners of People’s Postcode Lottery Postcode Millions! Our team at the Trust had a fantastic day at the event celebrating with the winners – thank you so much for supporting us!”
