Southport Millionaire Street

AN excited grandad is dreaming of watching a world cricket tournament on his childhood Caribbean isle home - after his partner split her Millionaire Street prize winnings with him.

Martin wants to fly in style on a business class ticket to watch the T20 World Cup cricket in Barbados, where he lived as a child for more than two years.

His bucket list return comes after partner Karen landed a whopping £250,000 cheque.

The retired welder said, "When I was a kid I lived in the Caribbean from about 10 until I was around 12 and a half. There were lots of places I used to frequent as a kid.

"My dad worked as an engineer in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados. We were there for two and a half years and had a fabulous time. In those days it wasn't overrun with tourists.

"We've been back on cruises and looked around a few of the old places. I can tell people about the places and say things like, 'There's a nice beach further along there'."

He added, "I'd love to go back when the cricket is on and watch the T20. And it would be nice to go business class on the plane, just to see how the other half lives. Instead of being cramped up in the back, we'll walk in and turn left."

Karen landed the windfall with three other neighbours in Southport after PR9 0LZ won our weekly Millionaire Street prize today. Every ticket was worth £250,000.

The couple - who got together 15 years ago and share six children and 10 grandchildren - were left shaken after Karen pulled the bumper cheque from her golden envelope.

Martin exclaimed, "Oh my God. £250,000!"

But Karen - who was wearing a t-shirt with the logo 'Good Things Take Time' - quickly added, "Quarter of a million! It sounds better when you say it like that."

Now they plan to help family and use it on a home move when they downsize from their current semi.

The former pub landlady said, "Oh my God, it wasn't a fiver then! I'm amazed and he's going to have a heart attack. We've got some children who will really appreciate it, so some of it will be going to them.

"When you see people winning large amounts of money, you think it will never happen to you. When it does, it is a bit of a shock. I've never even thought what I would do with it. I'll have to go in, have a cup of tea and think about it. Maybe start making a few plans now.

Dad-of-three Martin said, "I said, let's try the Postcode Lottery because you always see the winners. I said it would be more than £1,000, but we weren't expecting to win that much money."

The pair have just returned from visiting Martin's son Paul, in Newcastle, near Sydney, Australia.

Martin added, "If we hadn't just done that, we'd have been going out there. But we've been thinking of downsizing from this house, so it will help towards that as well."

Two doors down, Maureen's win put a smile on her face as she undergoes gruelling cancer treatment.

Brave Maureen - who has three children, two step-children, a grandchild and two step-grandkids - has monthly chemotherapy after the disease she beat 11 years ago returned.

Now the widow is dreaming of replacing the leaking roof on her semi, before moving to a bungalow - and giving the family a boost.

Maureen said, "Blimey! That's really good, isn't it? I've been thinking about getting a bungalow because I'm finding the stairs a bit difficult now.

"I'll get the roof done. Part of it was damaged in the gales last November and I've got buckets all over the floor with the rain coming in.

"I'll treat all the family, too. I'm feeling stunned. I wasn't expecting that."

She added, "I'm glad that other people in the street have won, too. You've got to do the Postcode Lottery anyway because it's going to good causes."

And she will be delighted to know that one local charity has benefited because of her street's £1 Million win.

Autism Initiatives UK has been awarded £35,000 by Postcode Community Trust. The national charity, which started in Southport, provides specialist services for adults and young people with autism; working alongside them, their families, educators, local authorities and carers to tailor support for specific individual needs.

The social enterprise team has been working alongside seven education establishments in the area and operating three social enterprises in Southport since 2010, which have supported more than 150 young people, with 21 currently engaged in work placements.

Jon Gordon, Head of Enterprise at Autism Initiatives, said, "This funding is critical for a charity like ours as we can train and employ specialist full-time support workers thanks to players of People's Postcode Lottery. The more support workers we have, the more young people we can support.

"Our specialist staff are pivotal in being the conduit between the family, the education establishment and the enterprise workplace to create a tailored plan that enables the individual to build confidence and self-esteem which can support engagement with and completion of education and enter the working world successfully."

The charity's social enterprises include a cafe in the heart of an arts venue, an outdoor growing and veg box scheme, and a bike maintenance and repair shop.

Jon added, "Bringing a young autistic person into one of our social enterprises is not a light-touch job. We spend time with everyone involved, assess the young person's needs, agree a plan with them and familiarize them with their new working environment and colleagues.

"But when you see some of the people who we've supported now in full-time employment, in long-term relationships and buying their own houses, it reinforces why social enterprises like ours are so important to our fellow community members."

Other local charities who have benefitted from this week's Millionaire Street prize include:

• Anne Frank Trust UK - £75,000 Learning from Anne Frank and the Holocaust, the charity empowers young people aged nine to 15 to challenge all forms of prejudice. Founded in 1991, they have 30 years of expertise in anti-prejudice education. They focus on those young people because they can relate to Anne, and because this age is crucial to the formation of values and beliefs.

• Cradle Charity - £30,000 A national pregnancy loss charity working with healthcare professionals within the NHS to support their pregnancy loss services. The national team of volunteers and corporate partners donate CRADLE Comfort Bags to more than 45 NHS hospitals. These are filled with essential toiletries made available to women or couples receiving care, during or following pregnancy loss.

All funding was awarded by Postcode Community Trust (opens in a new tab).

Supporting Good Causes

Today's prize is part of a draw promoted on behalf of Postcode Earth Trust (opens in a new tab). Supported by our players, this trust provides regular grant funding to organisations that work to raise awareness and understanding of the natural, creative and built environment. Benefiting charities include National Trust, Friends of the Earth and Canal & River Trust.

It's not just People's Postcode Lottery winners who benefit though. Our amazing players have raised more than £1.3 Billion for thousands of good causes across Britain and around the world. 33% of the ticket price funds life-changing projects which make a difference to people and the planet. Find out more about the range of charities and good causes that our players support.

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