The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Joy day for neighbours as they scoop £240,000
Winning feeling has not yet sunk in for two extremely lucky Brechin ladies
Two neighbours from Brechin won £239,663 each after their postcode was picked by the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Sheila Black and Susan Lindsay, who live next to each other on Latch Road, were clearly overcome by emotion as they were presented with their bumper cheques at the House of Dun, near Montrose.
The People’s Postcode Lottery split the £3 million prize pool among 245 winners in the DD9 6 area, with each ticket being worth £8,816.
At Saturday’s event the full winning postcode DD9 6JH was revealed, which saw the two women scoop the lifechanging sums as their addresses fell into the full lucky postcode.
Susan, 52, a former office worker at Andover Primary School, said: “I’m totally overwhelmed – you really don’t think it’s going to happen to you.
“It’s totally life-changing. I can treat the family and do things we wouldn’t have done before. What I’ll do with it, I don’t know, but it will be something lovely.”
The mother of two, who has lived in Brechin her entire life, added: “I was on my cousin’s hen party last night in Glasgow, but we were invited to come up in a chauffeur driven car and we took the chance.
“I’m going back to the hen party now, so they’ll be expecting some Champagne now.”
Her husband Murray added: “I remember reading about people in Brechin winning the Postcode Lottery in The Courier and I said to Susan we should have been playing that and she replied – I do.
“I didn’t even know she bought a ticket. It’s hard to take it all in.”
Sheila, 64, who used to work at the Co-op in Brechin, attended the celebration event with her niece Kim Elder.
She said: “It hasn’t really sunk in. My son Kevin lives in Melbourne and I am going to use the money to go and visit him.
“I’ve never really thought about what to do with that amount of money.
“I would have been happy with the £8,816 but I couldn’t believe it when my postcode came.
“I came along today and looked around at all the people, and wondered who would be the big winner – I never thought for a second that it would be me.
“I’ll definitely keep on playing – it’s not just us that have won today, it’s all the charities too.”
The event was hosted by the lottery’s ambassadors Jeff Brazier and Judie McCourt.
Jeff said: “It’s great to give away so much money. A few people’s lives are going to change.
“The money always seems to find its way into the right hands.”
The winners’ celebration saw a number of supported charities in attendance including Riding for the Disabled Association, Girlguiding, Woodland Trust and Wildlife Trust.
John McKenna, property manager at House of Dun, said: “We are delighted that the People’s Postcode Lottery chose the House of Dun as the venue for today’s event.
“The National Trust has benefited from the Postcode Lottery in the past so it’s great to keep that link going.
“I just wish I’d bought a ticket.”
I can treat the family and do things we wouldn’t have done before. What I’ll do with it, I don’t know, but it will be something lovely. SUSAN LINDSAY