Alcester Millionaire Street

A PETROLHEAD pensioner will buy his dream sports car after winning a share of £1 Million.

Retired teacher Graham said he can now live out his boyhood dreams behind the wheel of a classic car thanks to a £125,000 windfall.

The stunned dad-of-three, of Alcester, Warwickshire, said, "It's made my day and it's going to make people's lives much easier.

"I'm a big petrolhead, so I'll upgrade my car. A 140-miles-an-hour job. I love driving and going fast, so I can upgrade my car to a faster one and just enjoy driving."

Graham shared the £1 Million prize with seven neighbours after B49 6PX landed our weekly Millionaire Street prize today. Each ticket was worth £125,000, but one neighbour doubled that by playing with two tickets.

All Revved Up

Graham, who worked as a tech teacher for over 30 years until taking early retirement, isn't planning on slowing down and is now eyeing his dream car.

The OAP currently owns a special model of Fiat's Abarth but said he'll start browsing for a classic car from his past.

He said, "The best car I've ever driven is a Toyota MR2. They just don't make them like that anymore, but I'd like one."

Graham also plans on helping his three sons along with sending a portion of his winnings to friends in Africa.

Graham said, "I can share this money with my family and friends. It'll make a big difference to a lot of lives.

"My eldest son is going through a difficult time, so I can help him and my other two boys with bonuses."

When Graham retired, aged 50, he decided to move to Africa and volunteer to train teachers. Graham spent over 25 years living in Eswatini, a landlocked county in Southern Africa, where he worked for Skillshare International.

He said, "When I retired early at 50, I didn't want to sit about, and I took the opportunity to move to Africa. It's an amazing place and I'd like to send money to my friends who need it over there.

"It was a great experience but it made me never take things for granted. Supplies are not on your doorstep, electricity may not be available, and water may have to come from a river some distance away."

Graham moved back to Great Britain just before the Covid pandemic and started playing Postcode Lottery two years ago.

He said, "I'm grateful for what this postcode has done for me. It's going to help not just me, but family, friends, neighbours, and charities.

"My neighbours all deserve it. It's a lovely group here, a fantastic family. We all look out for one another and look after each other when we have any problems."

Absolutely Unforgettable

His neighbour Evelyn bagged the largest share of the £1 Million pot, doubling her winnings to £250,000 thanks to playing with two tickets.

Now the gran-of-ten plans to take her whole family on holiday, as well as tick off a bucket-list trip of her own. But she insists she won't be quitting her job.

An ecstatic Evelyn said, "It's just mind-blowing! To think your postcode does actually come up when you least expect it. It's been absolutely unforgettable.

"I've never ever thought I'd win such a big amount."

Evelyn, who works as a Military MRO specialist primarily sourcing spare parts for military helicopters, said she loves her job and won't be giving it up in a hurry.

She said, "I love what I do. I've always worked, they'll be carrying me off in a box and I'll still be typing on the computer, ringing a customer, or sending an email.

"I was straight back to work after the Postcode Lottery visited. As they say, 'Time stands still for no man.'

After finishing her day's work and a bottle of Champagne, Evelyn will be planning a big holiday for her entire family.

She said, "I'll take all the family away on holiday and I'm going to let them decide where we go.

"With eight grandchildren and two honorary grandchildren, it'll be quite the family affair. I'll just take them all-inclusive, and they can do what they want."

Evelyn also has another destination in mind. She said, "I think my friend and I could go to the Norwegian fjords next year. It would be something else to see the Northern Lights - that's on my bucket list, so I'll tick that one off."

Last week, Evelyn was contacted by our lottery team to say she'd won something and that we'd be visiting her in person, but when she hung up the phone, she was berated by her son Craig.

She said, "I didn't even ask how much I'd won when the Postcode Lottery phoned to say they were coming to my door and that I'd won a prize. My son scolded me for not asking!"

Evelyn's son Craig watched on in delight as his mum received a cheque for £250,000 but he was quick to suggest what she should buy first.

Craig joked, "She's got a 42-inch TV but it's about 42 years old. Mum can invest in a new one, and I'll take her to the shop myself."

Evelyn added, "My TV works perfectly fine but yes, I guess I could get a new telly."

Icing On The Cake

Dance teacher Victoria also celebrated after waltzing off with a cool £125,000.

The gran-of-three said she was 'humbled' by the huge prize sum.

Victoria said, "It's like a fairytale. I'm never going to forget today. It's almost unreal.

"At my age group, it's an unbelievable amount of money. My late husband earned £12 a week when we got married. I can't get my head around it. My poor bank manager is going to have a fit."

Victoria has only lived at the address for two years after advice from her daughter to move to the over-60s retirement housing complex.

She said, "It's the best move I've ever made. After living most of my life in Solihull, I moved here to be closer to the family and it's a lovely community and I have wonderful neighbours. And this is the icing on the cake."

The gran said she'd buy some swanky new carpets along with treating her children and grandchildren.

She added, "My grandkids are all into sport. Gianluca is a tennis player, and very good. Arturo is a swimmer for the county. And the youngest, Alesandro, is a goalkeeper.

"I think I'll be treating them, that's for sure."

The born entertainer, who performed shows during World War II, is still teaching a keep-fit class for her neighbours within the Alcester housing complex today.

Victoria started a dancing school when she was just 14 years old in Solihull, before performing in theatres around Britain, and she also starred in a few commercials. She spent the latter part of her career as a choreographer for a local musical society.

Local Charities Also Win

Victoria was delighted to hear that a local charity close to her heart was receiving a major funding boost.

Thanks to players of People's Postcode Lottery, Alcester Day Care received a game-changing £15,000 from Postcode Community Trust.

Carole Zambonini, founder and chairman of Alcester Day Care, said, "I couldn't believe it when I received the news of the funding.

"The biggest amount we'd ever received was £1,000 so this is incredible. We can get so much with the £15,000 thanks to the players of People's Postcode Lottery, and we're just eternally grateful."

Set up by Carole, who sadly lost her mother to dementia, Alcester Day Care supports people with dementia and memory issues and their carers. The Day Care runs three times a week and provides a safe space and activities such as games and mental exercises, whilst their carers have some respite.

Carole said, "Looking after my mum was incredibly difficult, and we had little to no support. When she sadly passed away, I wanted to set something up for people in the same tough situation.

"There is a big stigma around dementia and there shouldn't be. Our work started off as a cafe open twice a week where people struggling with dementia and their carers could come in and meet up with others, giving them a sense of community and somewhere to share their highs and lows."

While the Alcester Cafe still runs twice a week, the Alcester Day Care has taken the mission of dealing with dementia one step further. Open the other three days of the week, it's a safe space for carers to confidently leave their loved ones, knowing they will be looked after and cared for. The Alcester Day Care takes on a maximum of 12 people per day, ensuring everyone gets the best care possible and all the attention they need.

"Their families say they are more 'themselves' when they've been here - we've even had people who arrived in wheelchairs walking around the Day Care," added Carole.

Other charities in the Alcester area receiving funding thanks to Saturday's Millionaire Street prize win include:

• Wixford Village Hall - £75,000 Local village hall used by the community for lots of different activities and originally built in 1930. A new hall is currently under construction, with the aim of having the building work completed by May 2024.

• 1st Alcester Scout Group - £20,000 A local group of Scouts. They aim to engage and support young people in their personal growth, and developing skills for life. Scouts want to empower youngsters to make a positive contribution to society.

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

Good Causes Everywhere

Today's prize is part of a draw promoted on behalf of Postcode Community Trust (opens in a new tab). Supported by our players, this trust supports smaller charities and good causes in Wales to make a difference to their community for the benefit of people and planet.

With 33% of the ticket price going to charities and good causes, players of People's Postcode Lottery have now raised more than £1.3 Billion for thousands of projects and groups across the world.

Fantastic Prizes are announced every single day. It couldn't be easier to sign up - it only takes two minutes, and it might be the best decision you ever make. If you're not sure how to play, you can learn more about us in our How It Works guide.