Leicester Millionaire Street

THRIFTY Pauline Smith won a cheque for £250,000 - but still wants a discount on a new mattress.

Bubbly Pauline revealed she'll continue to be careful with money despite doubling her prize by playing with two tickets.

And top of the gran's list is to bag a bargain when she upgrades the bed at her home in Aylestone, Leicester.

Pauline - who works part-time as a school lunchtime supervisor - said: "The only thing I do need is a new mattress for the bed. I'll go and see my friend who works at a furniture shop, and she'll get me a discount.

"I'll also carry on at the school because..." - she starts laughing - "...I need the money!

"I won't go berserk at Christmas, I'll do exactly the same. I'm not someone to waste money."

Pauline celebrated her windfall with four neighbours in Leicester after LE2 8QE scooped our weekly £1m Millionaire Street prize today. Every ticket was worth £125,000, but Pauline doubled her prize with two tickets, and another player won £375,000 with three tickets.

Death In Paradise fan Pauline has vowed to splash a bit of cash to visit the top telly cop show's hotspots on a Caribbean cruise.

She fell in love with the sun-kissed locations on the BBC hit set in the island group of Guadeloupe in the southern Caribbean Sea.

She said: "A Caribbean cruise is something I've always wanted to do. Do you watch Death In Paradise? The scenery and the culture there appeals to me.

"I can sit on the beach with a cocktail in hand. I don't mind what cocktail."

She added: "I've got two sons and two grandchildren. I'll give some of the money to them and they can do what they want to do, go on the cruise and save the rest. I'm a saver - it will be in the bank - and if I need anything, well...

"I was brought up in the old school where you make do with what you've got. I just take each day as it comes and live my life as best as possible."

Widowed mum-of-two Pauline - who has been recovering from breast cancer - broke down when Danyl presented her with her first cheque.

When Danyl told her what she'd won, she gasped: "No, I haven't!"

Then she clasped her hand to her mouth when Danyl gave her a second £125,000 prize because she played with two tickets, and exclaimed: "Sorry, no! Excuse me, I can't speak.

"I didn't get to sleep last night because of this. My stomach is going over and I feel sick. My boys will say, 'Mam, you're joking'. They won't believe it until I send them a photo of what I've won."

Best friend and next-door neighbour Sharon Henry dashed across their shared driveway to give Pauline a hug after being left in shock at her win.

Sharon said: "Oh my God, Pauline, I can't believe that. Where are we going? I've got no words."

The mum-of-two added: "I'm so happy for her. She needs good news. This will just change her life. I know she'll help her family out."

The pals - who have lived beside each other for more than three decades - work as lunchtime supervisors at the local school they can see from their back doors.

Pauline replied with a laugh: "I can't even speak, Sharon, to be honest with you. Do you want some of it?

"Sharon was brilliant when I lost my husband. She was there for me. I would have been lost without her. I keep telling her I'm grateful.

"When I have a hospital appointment she drives me, and she takes me shopping every Saturday. We can do M&S shopping now! I'm speechless and that's a change for me. I'm nervous and shaking."

The gregarious granny has battled through a tough decade after losing her husband Paul and both her in-laws within the space of a year - then being diagnosed with breast cancer.

She said: "I've had a mastectomy, and I take a pill, but I'm fine now. You have to be feisty. Everyone has problems, but you have to carry on regardless... it's the best way to be."

She is devoted to pet Boxer dog, Smig, after getting him in August 2013, three months after Paul passed away with pancreatic cancer. The dog's name is a mix of their surname and her hubby's nickname, Smeg.

She said: "I won't do the holiday while I've got the dog. He's too old and will fret."

There's another person she will splash out on, though - best buddie Sharon. The pair of them erupt into fits of giggles when they recount a story about scatty Pauline.

Laughing Sharon said: "She went to the hospital, and she was a year early."

Pauline explains: "I went to the hospital for an oncology appointment on October 28, and they said they couldn't find me on the system. It was the same date - but in 2025!"

She added: "I'll think of something to treat Sharon with, even if it's just some money and she can please herself. But I'll definitely treat her.

"The community round here is absolutely brilliant. It is lovely and having people around that I can call on if I need to is beautiful."

Pauline has vowed to keep playing to support charities. She said: "I'm glad a lot of the money goes to charities. That's brilliant and makes this even better.

"I believe in supporting charities. They can't rely on anything. The money I give to the Postcode Lottery is a great big help and I'm grateful for that.

"I'll carry on playing because you never know what's round the corner and it might happen again. The money is going to charities anyway.

"If you bide your time, your time will come, and my time has come."

Further along the street, Kat McManus and husband Tom are dreaming of a road trip to their beloved Italy in the camper van they converted together during lockdown to celebrate his 60th next year.

Builder Tom was presented with a cheque for £125,000 while his winner wife watched via FaceTime from her work.

Kat - who has two kids and six grandchildren - shouted down the phone: "Oh my God! Thank you so much, that is beautiful. Me and Tom need a holiday. We've not had one for years.

"We'll definitely help the kids and the grandchildren out."

She added: "I've been so excited today. I asked the universe for Postcode Lottery to come to me and you did. I can't tell you how much this means to us.

"If you can give a little bit back every time, it means you feel good in your heart. Even if you don't win, you're doing a good thing, so why not help other people? It's everyone's world, isn't it?

"I feel very emotional and very blessed right now. Good things don't happen to us, but this is a good thing today."

Tom - who hasn't worked for a year after having a heart op to fit a stent and injuring his shoulder while playing football with his grandson - told us how they'll sit down and plan their big trip.

He said: "We love Italy and go mostly to Rome. We've got a camper van and we were watching a YouTube video of someone who'd been to Lake Como and thought it was amazing.

"It's my 60th birthday next March and this will help a long way to getting us there. Probably a bit further now. The Amalfi Coast would be nice."

And there might be an extra Christmas present in the stocking for their son, daughter and six grandchildren.

Tom said: "We have talked before about going away for Christmas with all the family. A log cabin would be ideal."

He added: "Kat loves the Postcode Lottery because of the charities. Every week she says she doesn't mind not winning because it is for charity, then she says, 'But I'd love to win.'

"She definitely deserves this. She's the kind of person who gives most of it away anyway. She's got a big, loving family who'll all be happy for her."

Kat and Pauline will be delighted to learn that their wins mean local charities will also receive a funding boost.

And one organisation, Leicestershire Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Therapy Centre, has been awarded £40,000 by Postcode Community Trust.

The MS Centre focuses on physio services and oxygen therapy, helping people with MS and other illnesses to actively manage their symptoms and lives better.

Founded by people living with MS, the charity now helps people of all ages and backgrounds who live with diseases such as cancer, diabetes, stroke, Long COVID or have been impacted by road accident or sports injuries.

Centre manager Josephine Hill said: "The centre is not only here to offer therapy in the physical sense, there is an immense sense of community here. People have a support network here, patients stay behind after therapy, and we even get family members of patients come and sit in, to have a coffee and cake and support each other."

Peter Crossley, a volunteer and service user with MS, said: "If the MS centre wasn't here, I would definitely feel more isolated and alone. The NHS is fabulous, but it can only do so much. We need centres like this to offer people therapy on a more regular basis, as well as always have an open door if you need a chat with people in the same situation as you."

In October this year alone, the MS Therapy Centre saw 165 people for physiotherapy, and 111 people came in for oxygen therapy, with a total of over 400 oxygen sessions taking place.

Josephine added: "It's so special to receive £40,000 as the MS Therapy Centre is about to mark its 40th anniversary next year! One of our exercise bikes has just broken, and is beyond repair, so some of the money can go towards refreshing our equipment.

"We're so grateful to players of People's Postcode Lottery, thank you!"

Thousands Of 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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