A plumber from Sussex has said his 'life has changed forever' after winning big on the People's Postcode Lottery.
The People’s Postcode Lottery is a subscription lottery that aims to raise money for charities while also bringing cash prizes to homes across the UK.
With £1,000 prizes up for grabs for 20 different postcodes around the UK from Monday to Friday, on Saturdays, players could win a share of £1 million.
And that's exactly what happened on this Sussex street, with two neighbours both celebrating winning more than £300,000.
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Sussex street wins huge £333k in People's Postcode Lottery
Neighbours at the TN21 8AP postcode market town of Heathfield in East Sussex scooped the People's Postcode Lottery weekly Millionaire Street prize on November 17.
Three neighbours in the winning postcode bagged £333,333 per ticket.
John Fearman, a local plumber, had gone to have lunch when he spotted the famous red jackets and a camera crew at the end of his street.
Within minutes, the unsuspecting tradesman was clutching a golden envelope and staring in disbelief at his major prize.
John says he now plans to replace his old, broken-down work van with a brand-new one - and finally tick off a few dream holidays from his wish list, including Barcelona, Vietnam and New Zealand.
He said: "I'd just walked in and thought I'd grab a quick bite to eat before heading out again. Then I saw a few people in red coats, and I thought, 'What's going on?' Then they came up and said they were from the Postcode Lottery.
"I honestly thought someone was winding me up. When they told me I’d won, I was completely blown away. I couldn’t speak.
"You work hard all your life; you don’t expect something like this to happen. But it has. And it’s changed everything."
John said he has been doing the Postcode Lottery for about eleven years and was "going to give it up last month" but stuck with it due to its support for charities.
"It just proves you never know what's around the corner," he added.
John said the win will make a 'massive difference' to his life, and described the win as "mind-blowing".
He added: "It's life-changing, really. Like everyone, I’ve had my fair share of bad luck - my van broke down earlier this year, and work’s been tough at times. But this sorts all that out and more.
John said the best part was discovering that his neighbours had also won.
He said: "They're brilliant people. It's lovely to win alongside them. We all look out for each other here - it's a great community."
And he was not the only one in the street who was celebrating the big win.
At the end of the cul-de-sac, Angela West also won her own £333,333 prize.
Angela, who also said she has been playing the Postcode Lottery for years, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer a decade ago, and was still recovering when her husband, Dean, died from pancreatic cancer in 2020.
She said: "After everything we've been through, I just feel so lucky to be here.
"Every day is a blessing. You realise money can't buy your health, but this win will help me enjoy life a bit more and help my family too.
"I’ve had a lot of bad luck in my life, but this is something good at last."
Angela plans to bring in the New Year in spectacular style with flights to Thailand already booked with her partner, Stephen Hutchinson.
The retired mother-of-two has five grandchildren and says she plans to spend carefully.
She said: "I’ve struggled most of my life, so I’ll probably save most of it and help my children. I never waste money."
How does the People's Postcode Lottery work?
The People's Postcode Lottery website explains how the competition works.
It says: "Every month, players in a postcode sector share £3.2 million or more.
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"In this example, £1.6 million of this will be shared equally by tickets playing with the winning postcode, with the other £1.6 million being shared equally by tickets playing with the winning postcode sector.
"On the rare occasion where there are not enough winning tickets in the postcode sector, the area may be expanded to the postcode district."
A minimum of 33% of each ticket goes to charity, and players have raised more than £1.3 billion for over 9,000 charities and good causes since 2005.
