A former judo black belt is among a group of neighbours who won nearly £150,000 in the Postcode Lottery.

Chris Nicholls and his wife Anne will take home £142,857 after winning a share of £1 million handed out to residents of Large Acres in Selsey near Chichester.

Chris and Anne, both 76, are one of six households on the road who will each take home tens of thousands for winning in the PO20 postcode.

The Argus: Chris and Anne Nicholls, right, being presented with their chequeChris and Anne Nicholls, right, being presented with their cheque (Image: Postcode Lottery)

The couple, who moved to the road less than a year ago, say they will treat their family as well as spending the money on new knees and hips.

Grandad Chris said: "It's the sort of thing you dream about, and you think it's never going to happen. Now I can buy my wife two new hips and me two new knees.

"It's been a lucky move. If we stayed where we were we wouldn't have had this winning postcode. It feels magic.



“If you have a day like today in your life, it's something you're always going to remember. It doesn't come every week.

"FaceTime will be going ten to the dozen later on today telling our family this amazing news. We'll give them a little bit of help, as you like to do as a parent and grandparent."

Chris, who still works in data management, said that he and Anne had moved to the West Sussex town in April last year and are in the middle of renovating their house.

The couple have been married for 56 years and have two sons and two granddaughters.

Chris used to ride motorbikes and took up Judo at the age of 35 and was awarded his black belt in the late 1980s having competed for more than two decades.

Six houses in Large Acres in Selsey won their share of £1 million in the Postcode Lottery after entering and living in the PO20 9BA area. One anonymous resident also won over £250,000 having played with two tickets.

The Argus: Lynn, right, celebrating her big winLynn, right, celebrating her big win (Image: Postcode Lottery)

Embroiderer Lynn said she was “speechless” after also sharing in the winnings.

The mum-of-five, who is moving to Devon next month, said she would split the winnings with her children and visit her daughter who lives in New Zealand.

She said: “I'm still speechless. It's absolutely incredible and it'll be life-changing for me and my kids.

“I can give something to each of the kids and help them get on the property ladder, et cetera. It'll make a massive difference.


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"I'm moving on the 12th of April to West Buckland, in Devon, and this money will make things so much easier. I don't need to skimp about the furniture and decoration, and I can get it all thoroughly done and nice."

The Postcode Lottery sees residents buy tickets for the prize draw with money awarded to anyone living in particular postcodes.

Winnings are then split between anyone who lives on the road.

The Postcode Lottery also raises money for charities including Selsey RNLI’s lifeboat station and foodbanks in nearby Chichester.