Llandysul Millionaire Street

EXCITED Carol Collings has told us how she'll deck the halls on her Spanish Christmas holiday after winning a £250,000 cheque.

Carol was planning a break at her bolthole in Fuerteventura with her husband Steve and her sister when she bagged the festive fortune.

The retired health and safety officer from Llandysul, Ceredigion, in Wales, said: "Oh my God! Wow! That's fantastic. This is certainly money I've not had in my bank before.

"It will be a very nice Christmas, I can assure you of that. For all of us, it is going to be an extra special Christmas.

"We're going to Fuerteventura for Christmas, and my sister is coming with us. We don't like the cold, so we try and get away out of the winter. It will help with the holiday and a few nice meals out.

"Hopefully, it will be warm and sunny, and we'll try and get a good Christmas lunch somewhere."

Carol celebrated her windfall with three other neighbours in a village close to Llandysul after SA44 6JZ scooped our weekly £1m Millionaire Street prize today. Every ticket was worth £250,000.

The kind-hearted stepmum started playing Postcode Lottery to support charities, and she has already pledged her support to a Fuerteventura cat rescue organisation she volunteers with.

She said: "Part and parcel of doing Postcode Lottery is helping to give something back to other organisations. I wanted to do it because of the charity element, because that is so important.

"I help a cat charity in Fuerteventura, and they will benefit as well. It's one guy who looks after a lot of cats by himself. It's the only charity on the island that takes cats in."

But they might have grander plans when they arrive at the hols hotspot - a new runaround.

Carol said: "My husband's had his eye on an electric Cupra, so that's maybe a possibility now."

Stunned Steve - who has two children and six grandchildren - said: "It would be for our place in Fuerteventura. An electric car is more appropriate for the small island."

And he laughed: "We can have a look round the car showrooms now."

The globe-trotting couple might now resurrect plans to head back to an old haunt in India after an invite from Steve's son.

She said: "Paul wanted us to go to Goa early next year. We'll maybe get there now. We've been there before. It's predominantly a beach holiday. We like Indian food as well."

And while she's there, she may even source a treat for herself.

She added: "I do like jewellery, although I've not got my eye on anything in particular at the moment. Goa is a good place for jewellery, and they will make you something to spec."

But first, there are plans for a local celebration with the winning community.

Carol said: "When I got the phone call, I spent all day thinking about what I might have won. I thought maybe £10,000 - that would be very nice.

"I'm extremely excited. It means an awful lot to me. I'm speechless, it's fantastic. It's not something that you imagine will ever happen to you.

"I'm sure the neighbours that have also won will be as delighted as I am. We'll be going to the local club tonight and it will be drinks all round. It's exciting for the community."

A mile away, Liam Evans choked back tears after Matt revealed his £250,000 cheque, then got a huge hug from his emotional mum Tracey when he showed her his winnings.

Now he's planning a family Christmas to remember and making a dream come true for his little son, Theodore.

The holiday park customer relations manager said: "Santa will definitely be coming this year. I think the whole family will be having a treat this Christmas. I don't want to say too much because my mum can hear, but surprises will come this year.

"I've already got a couple of holidays booked for next year and I'll add another couple to that.

"My son goes on about Disney all the time, so Disney will now be on the cards next year. Whether it will be France or Florida, I don't know yet.

"I'll take my parents, too. To be honest, my mum is massively into family. For her to be able to see my son do something like that would be great."

He's also thinking of treating himself to new wheels to zip around the stunning Welsh countryside. He said: "There probably will be a new car. I'd like an Audi S3."

But what about something for mum? Tracey, head of district nursing in the area, joked: "A bottle of champagne would be lovely."

She added: "Oh my God, I can't believe it. I'm just so made up for him. He's a young man and works really hard. This will be amazing."

Liam signed up for Postcode Lottery because of the charity element and is bowled over by winning with his neighbours.

The dad-of-one - who was getting ready to go back to work - said: "I don't know what to say. I'm completely flabbergasted. This means such a lot to me. It's a life-changing amount of money.

"I've played for years and years. I used to play when I lived in Cardiff and swapped postcodes when I came here.

"I didn't sleep very well last night. I was up most of the night, and my parents were as well."

He added: "It feels great to win as part of the community. Spread the love, as they say. I'm very happy for everyone.

"I like the fact that you support local charities and there's a chance to win at the same time."

Carol and Liam's win has meant that local charities have also benefitted from their Millionaire Street prize.

And one local organisation, Sea Watch Foundation, has been awarded £100,000 by Postcode Community Trust.

The charity, which has a field office in New Quay - close to the winners' homes - carries out vital research to improve the conservation and protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises in UK waters.

The Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project is the charity's flagship project, which is operated out of the New Quay field office.

The initiative is one of the longest-running monitoring schemes in Europe. The charity has spent a quarter of a century studying Welsh bottlenose dolphins.

Sea Watch Foundation has also maintained a UK-wide citizen science project since the 1970s.

Professor Peter Evans, Director of Sea Watch Foundation, said: "Sea Watch, along with our network of observers, is a primary source of knowledge for monitoring marine mammal population changes in the UK.

"One hundred thousand pounds is hugely significant for us as it will cover most of our annual operational costs in New Quay and surveying costs for associated projects."

The work Sea Watch Foundation has accomplished in New Quay led to two areas within Cardigan Bay becoming Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) for Welsh bottlenose dolphins.

Professor Evans added: "Our mission is simple: improve the conservation and protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises. With this support, we can expand our monitoring, deepen our research, and further protect these remarkable creatures."

Another local charity benefitting from this week's Millionaire Street prize is:

• Tir Dewi - £75,000 Supporting farmers and their families across Wales who are facing challenges, in whatever form that takes. Services include a free, confidential helpline.

All funding was awarded by Postcode Community Trust.

Deserving Projects

Today's prize is part of a draw promoted on behalf of Postcode Education Trust. Supported by our players, this trust delivers grant funding to organisations that provide education, particularly in emergency situations. Benefitting charities include Save the Children, Theirworld and UNICEF UK.

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