A mum who has scooped a life-changing share of £3.2 million with a win on the Postcode Lottery says she will spend the money on bottles of Prime drinks and a house.
Amie Walling, a 37-year-old teaching assistant at a special needs and disabilities school, is one of the eight neighbours to win £200,000 each.
Amie and her husband, James say their ‘10 year plan is now a next week plan’ and they can now move to a house to fit their family of four.
Amie said: “We’re cramped in this two-bedroom house with our two girls. Now we can move somewhere that’s big enough for us all.
“My heart was beating really fast – it’s more zeroes than I was expecting.”
The couple also promised their eight-year-old daughter Theia a treat involving YouTuber KSI's viral drink.
James said: “I told Theia if we won £1,000 we could get all the Prime flavours – we’ll need to go on the hunt now!”
Amie believes the win will have a big impact on the community.
She added: “Times have been hard for everyone recently so for a street like this to win, you’ve no idea what that means. It will go a long way.”
The LA1 5 postcode area in Lancaster was announced as the winner of the multi-million-pound People’s Postcode Lottery prize on Saturday (April 29), with 752 people picking up a cheque.
The other winners of £200,000 include:
- Isobel Johnson, a 65-year-old great-grandmother who described the win as ‘life changing’ for her and her husband of 45 years who is living with dementia
- Ria Plawecki, 31, a mum-of-two working at a doctors' surgery is going use the money to learn to drive
- Sara McGonnell, 56, a receptionist and mum-of-one will use the money to buy a headstone for her mum’s grave
Isobel has lived in the area since she was seven and was gobsmacked after winning the bumper prize.
She said: “My husband, Norman, was diagnosed with dementia four years ago and I just try to handle it the best I can.
"I just get by day-to-day so this is going to help us so much.
“I didn’t expect it to be this amount of money. I just can’t register it. I can’t stop shaking.
“I want to treat the people who have helped me get through in life. And I’ll go and get my hair and my nails done. That’ll be my treat to myself.”
Ria Plawecki was joined by her husband Ross when she got a knock on her door from the Postcode Lottery.
She said: “I never win anything, not even a pound on a scratchcard – I keep expecting someone to tell me it’s all a joke.
“I can’t drive, so the first thing I’m going to do is get some driving lessons and a shiny new car.
“I’m sure the children will have a long list and there’s definitely going to be some holidays too – maybe to Disney World.”
Sara McGonnell thought it was a scam when she got the phone call but then became emotional when she saw how much she’d won.
She said: “All that’s going through my head right now is that I can buy my mum a headstone, a brand new one. That’s all I can think of.
“She died in 1988 when she was just 52, and this is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while but I haven’t been able to. This means a lot.”
People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Danyl Johnson visited the winners to present them with their prize.
He said: “It was a pleasure to deliver good news and golden envelopes to some of our lucky winners in Lancaster.
“I’ve loved hearing their plans for the prize money and I’m sure there will be plenty of celebrations happening across LA1 5 this bank holiday weekend.”
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