South Wiltshire woman wins £400K on Postcode Lottery
Players on Debs Orchard's street have scooped £1 million between them
Residents on a street in Bodenham have won a share of £1 million between them, on the People's Postcode Lottery.
Five tickets on Longford Park, SP5 4EG, have scooped the Millionaire Street jackpot - but it's a double win for 59 year old Debs Orchard.
She has two plays in the draws, so has won £400,000:
“This is life-changing. I never expected this in a million years. I can’t believe it. I feel humbled.”
Debs, her husband Pete, 56, and their family were five days into a seven day cruise in the Norwegian Fjords when they found out:
"My phone started ringing in the rucksack. We got into the cabin and I was sitting with my leg on the bed. Pete handed me my phone and I saw the number.
“I dialled it and it came up People’s Postcode Lottery. I thought ‘oh my god’ and, as I was trying to ring back, they were calling me again.
“I’ve been playing Postcode Lottery for 10 years and won £1,000 with one ticket around 2015. I was a bit miffed because me and my husband could have had £1,000 each, so that’s why I went out and bought a second ticket!"
So what does Debs want to do with the money?
She says all she wanted at first was a vacuum cleaner, as hers is too heavy - and then wants to look after family, along with trips to India and the Panama Canal.
But she also wants to return to South Africa to volunteer at a sanctuary for orphan rhinos, run by the Care For Wild organisation – after taking ill following her first visit in 2017, and being diagnosed with kidney cancer - she's just had her five year all-clear.
Husband Pete said:
“I want more fishing equipment. My dream has been to fish three days a week and spend the weekends with Debs. That might be a reality now.”
Postcode Lottery ambassador Danyl Johnson said:
“This was a day where we made new kings and queens of the castle. It was a beautifully idyllic setting, but we brought some excitement with some big cheques for big winners.”
“Our Postcode Lottery players enter to win, but they also know the huge benefit it brings to charities locally and across the UK. Every time players buy a ticket, charities win.”
People's Postcode gives a minimum of 33% of ticket sales to charity.