Abbots Langley Millionaire Street

SHOCKED Angela Plant won £333,333, then immediately vowed to go on a spending spree with her partner, family and friends.

Bubbly Angela said she would stick a 'little bit' away but wanted to spread joy with a wish list of treats that includes a string of exotic holidays, a box at the footie for her partner, a Greek wedding for her eldest son, girls' trips with her closest friends - and even a Florida trip for her first grandchild, not due until December.

Angela, of Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire, said: "This year has been up and down. I'm just going to make sure all my close pals and family are looked after.

"You don't want profit in the bank, you want to go out and spend it. We'll keep a little bit, but you don't want to save for a rainy day. You'd be bankrupt with the amount of rain we've had."

She added: "I'm speechless. Oh my God! I was expecting about £10,000 or £15,000. I'm in shock. I just kept seeing threes and thought, 'When are the threes going to end?' I would have been happy with £333, that could still get a bit these days."

And then she laughed: "Can you go on a cruise with that?"

Angela landed the whopping windfall with another neighbour in Abbots Langley after WD5 0NH bagged today's Millionaire Street prize.

Every ticket in the winning postcode was worth £333,333, but the other player - who chose to remain anonymous - banked £666,666 as they played with two tickets.

Angela told us how she got news of her win two days after her birthday and a couple of days before her youngest son Bradan's.

And it capped a summer of adventure for her and her partner, ex-combustion engineer Andrew Pope.

The couple had a civil partnership ceremony to mark 40 years together then embarked on an incredible nine-week backpacking tour of Asia in June and July.

Angela said: "We've been together for 40 years and we had a civil partnership before we went away this year.

"We travelled round Asia for nine weeks backpacking. It was something we had been looking to do for some time."

The daring pair explored Vietnam, then travelled to Cambodia before arriving in Thailand where they visited Bangkok, Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands. They then boarded a coach to Malaysia to see the sights of Kuala Lumpur, before rounding off their trip on the paradise Indonesian isle of Bali.

And the holiday was no mean feat for Angela as she put her new knee replacements through their paces.

She said: "I had a couple of knee replacements two or three years ago. Before that, I couldn't walk down the garden path. Now I've climbed up everything on holiday - monuments, hills - it was amazing. I couldn't imagine doing that four or five years ago. My knees were perfect, and it's changed my life."

The former secure unit nurse has no plans to give up her latest job as a companion in an old folk's home. But she is getting to work on her spending.

That includes making sure her eldest lad Jordan and his wife-to-be Anna Ranch have the wedding of their dreams.

She said: "My oldest son is going to get married in Zante in Greece next year. We've paid a bit towards the wedding." And she grinned: "I suppose I'll have to pay it all now!"

The couple are also expecting their first child - a little girl - in a few weeks.

Angela said: "We've got our first grandchild on the way, and she is going to be spoiled rotten. I've always, always wanted to be a grandmother. She is due on the 19th of December. We'll have a really good Christmas.

"It's important to do things as a family. Good memories last forever. I've got good memories from the past of going with the children to Florida, so I would like to take my granddaughter there."

She added: "Andrew's a Leeds United fan. I might get him a box or a season ticket. He hasn't missed a home game for about 30 years."

Angela still has two breaks to look forward to before the end of the year: Paris for three days with pals and then a trip to Cairo with Andrew before embarking on a Nile cruise.

But excited Angela has caught the travel bug and now wants to see even more of the world.

She said: "I want to see Japan and China and Singapore. We've been all over Europe. But after travelling the way we did, I can see the world is such a small place and you can do what you want and go where you want. It's opened my eyes, and I know I can go to different places now.

"I'd like to be able to open a map and say, 'I'd like to go there and there.' This opens up so many more opportunities.

"We've both worked our socks off and this gives us the chance to do a little bit more. I'm not one for putting it in the bank."

But Angela's win is tinged with sadness after losing two friends in the past year. Now she wants to ensure her other pals are given a much-needed lift.

She said: "I'm going to treat my friends. We've all been through so much. I'm very, very lucky to have loads of good friends. We'll have a good time spending some of it."

Just after receiving her cheque, reality hit when Angela's phone rang with her boss asking if she could work the next day in the old folk's home.

She said: "I'm going to work tomorrow. I do their shopping, take them out for a coffee and just chat to them. It keeps my mind buzzing and I love it."

Angela was also buzzing to learn that her win meant charities in her area have benefitted from a share of a separate £1m Millionaire Street pot.

She said: "I was looking the other day, and the charities Postcode Lottery support are all brilliant. And you don't miss the direct debit going out every month."

And one local charity to receive a funding boost is Playskill, which has been awarded £50,000 by Postcode Community Trust.

With a mission to empower preschool children and their families, the charity offers a range of support to help children who have physical disabilities or delays to reach their full potential.

They run seven different free specialist playgroups in Hertfordshire, helping an average of 100 children and their families per year, with many calling it a 'lifeline'.

Niki Michael, CEO of Playskill, said: "The parents who come to us are often at the very beginning of a challenging journey and need all the help they can get, just as much as the children.

"This funding is game-changing for us and the families we support. It may even mean we can expand our services, as we know there are lots more families out there who need support."

Thanks to a mix of staff and volunteers, children and their families have a safe space to engage in interactive playgroup activities, as well as one-on-one time with speech, occupational and physiotherapists aimed to help them progress and reach their full potential.

Niki added: "Parents who use Playskill's services say it can feel isolating, especially if you have more than one child, as there aren't many events and activities out there that are suitable for all.

"We put on events like family soft play and bowling, where the whole family can take part, as well as mum or dad-focused activities to provide some respite for parents, while also linking them with people with similar experiences."

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

• West Herts ABC and Educational Support C.I.C - £25,000 A boxing club created to make a positive impact within the community, offering professional trainers and high-quality equipment. They have classes for children, adults and for women only.

• Abbots Langley Community Centre - £10,000 A local community centre and venue for hire which hosts a variety of different activities and local events. Their large variety of clubs and classes include dancing, social groups and sports activities.

All funding was awarded by Postcode Community Trust.

Good Causes Everywhere

Today's prize is part of a draw promoted on behalf of Postcode Planet Trust. Supported by our players, this trust delivers grant funding to organisations that work to protect and promote our environment and wildlife. Benefitting charities include WWF-UK, Marine Conservation Society and The Wildlife Trusts.

With 33% of the ticket price going to charities and good causes, players of People's Postcode Lottery have now raised more than £1.4 billion for thousands of projects and groups across the world.

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