Tadley Millionaire Street

A STUNNED gran told us how she cancelled her People's Postcode Lottery ticket and then won £200,000 days later.

Sian Black axed her subscription over a fortnight ago but still made the cut-off date for our January draw.

Now the mum-of-three has decided to start playing again after getting a phone call from us to say she'd landed the bumper windfall.

Relieved Sian, of Tadley, Hampshire, said: "I had cancelled my ticket then reinstated it after getting the phone call to say I'd won.

"If I'd cancelled a few days earlier and missed out I would have been devastated. I could have been an idiot."

She added: "I've never won anything in my life. I can't even win the bingo. Now I think I might get another ticket. Why not? I could win again."

Happy Sian celebrated with four other neighbours in Tadley after RG26 3PE scooped our weekly £1m Millionaire Street prize today. Every winning ticket was worth £200,000.

Sian, a sales adviser at the local swimming pool, initially thought she had won only a popcorn maker.

When Postcode Lottery ambassador Danyl Johnson presented her prize, she said: "Oh my God! No way! Eight years I've been playing. This changes my life. It's amazing.

"I'm 62 in a couple of months. What a birthday present!"

Then she added: "I originally thought I'd won a popcorn maker, then I was thinking maybe £30,000, and that would get me a holiday and some nice things.

"I'd say to anyone that doesn't play, do it. It's worth it."

Now she's planning a sunshine trip with her family - two sons, a daughter, their partners, and two granddaughters.

She said: "I'll be going on a nice holiday and taking my best friend with me. With the family, there will be ten of us.

"We're going to Portugal - Albufeira - it's my granddaughter's happy place. I'd like to go to the Maldives, too, that would be my choice."

But kind-hearted Sian has also been thinking of retiring because she suffers from a degenerative eye condition.

She said: "I'd like to retire because I'm eventually going to go blind. I have macular degeneration. It won't happen now, but over the years to come."

She added: "I don't think it will sink in until I see it in my bank account. I'm going to get the cheque framed. It might go up on my living room wall as well."

A couple of doors along, Alistair Murrey told us how he changed his mind about cancelling last year, then breathed a sigh of relief when he was presented with his £200,000 cheque.

After seeing his winnings, dad-of-two Alistair was left shocked as tears welled up in his gobsmacked wife's eyes.

The IT company manager, formerly of Rosyth, Fife, said: "This feels amazing, frankly. Genuinely, a few months ago, I was going to cancel it. I thought, 'Should I cancel the Postcode Lottery? Oh, I'll just leave it.'

"What a week this has been since we got the phone call. We have been on tenterhooks.

"Our daughter is studying to be a doctor at uni, so she'll probably get half of it. We'll have a holiday, blow a bit, and save a bit.

"My son might get a new Xbox controller. He competes online and has a YouTube channel. I don't understand a single thing about it."

Sally added: "Can you imagine if we had cancelled it? We'd be spitting feathers if everyone else got something and we didn't."

Alistair - who left the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 2004 after reaching the rank of sergeant - added: "This has made our year, never mind our week."

Personal Assistant Sally said she is taking daughter Ella to South Africa to visit family later this year.

She said: "I'm going to see family in South Africa. I said, 'I'm just going to do it, I'm just going to do it,' and I did it. This is unbelievable. We got married out there. I've got a lot of friends there because I went to school there. And we're surprising my aunt.

"I really would like to do a bit more travel in the summer. Anywhere that's warm. We've been lucky; we've seen a lot of the world. But Ella wants to travel."

Alistair added: "Ella's got a country list she's ticking off, so we'll help her with that."

Sally joked that they had nicknamed her hubby Smaug after the dragon in The Hobbit, which hoards treasure.

But footie fan Alistair said he might break out and treat himself. He said: "I'm a Scrooge, so I'll be saving it. I'll get a spreadsheet worked out.

"But I might go and watch Arsenal a few more times and might spend a bit more money on it and treat myself. Get a bit of corporate action."

The neighbours all told us that the main reason for joining the Postcode Lottery was to support local, national, and international charities.

Their Millionaire Street wins have meant that organisations in their area will also benefit from vital funding.

One charity, Tadley District & Community Association (TDCA), has been awarded £50,000 by Postcode Community Trust.

TDCA brings together local residents, authorities, volunteers and other organisations to improve the quality of life for people within the local community.

TDCA chairman Adrian Noad said: "We had no idea that charities like ours benefitted from people playing People's Postcode Lottery, so the news of the funding came as a huge shock to all of us.

"Fifty thousand pounds is a considerable amount of funding that will go such a long way in improving the facilities of our community centre.

"We now have the freedom to look at various refurbishments such as replacing our fire doors to a new kitchen."

The charity runs and hosts over 60 classes and groups throughout the week, including fitness groups, youth groups, a food pantry, and a community cinema.

Adrian added: "I've been working for TDCA for 30 years now, and the transformation I've seen in the charity over the years is testament to the dedicated team of staff and volunteers behind it, who have helped us make Tadley community centre a focal point of the local area."

Other local organisations who have been awarded funding include:

• Tadley and District Citizens Advice Bureau - £60,000 Part of a national network of independent local charities offering free practical and confidential information and advice on various issues, including housing, work, benefits and debt.

• Age Concern Tadley and District - £10,000 Supporting the well-being of older people. Their services include a weekly lunch club with a selection of two-course lunches and monthly musical entertainment. There's also a chiropodist service and wheelchair loan.

All funding was awarded by Postcode Community Trust.

Thousands Of Deserving Projects

Today's prize is part of a draw promoted on behalf of Postcode Justice Trust. Supported by our players, this trust delivers grant funding to organisations that help improve lives by delivering justice, human rights and equality. Benefitting charities include Amnesty International UK, Women for Women International and The Sentry.

With People's Postcode Lottery, a min of 30% of each ticket price goes to charities and good causes. Our players have funded thousands of deserving projects and raised more than £1.4 billion for community groups and charitable organisations.

If you haven't signed up to play yet, it's quick and easy to join the fun. Winning postcodes are announced every single day and we have thousands of happy winners every week. See How It Works or check out the amazing Prizes which you could win.