Barnham Millionaire Street

A STUNNED mum has won a share of £1 million, and her first buy could be some sheep.

Julie Wilson-Homewood scooped £166,666 just days before Christmas and now wants to make weaver daughter Torie's dreams come true by investing in some sheep to help grow her wool-based clothing business.

Julie, of Barnham, West Sussex, said: "It's incredible, I still can't quite believe it."

Jolly Julie added: "I'm just so happy because I know that things are also going to change for Torie now.

"We could get her some sheep of her own. That could be something down the line that might happen."

Julie was among nine neighbours sharing our £1m Millionaire Street prize after their postcode, PO22 0DQ, was announced as the winner today.

Every winning ticket was worth £83,333, but Julie doubled her winnings with two tickets, and her neighbour Diane Daughtrey, who played with three tickets, tripled her windfall to £249,999.

Tearful Julie was supported by daughter Torie when Danyl presented her with her cheque while car mechanic hubby Paul was at work.

Julie said: "I was in disbelief that it could happen, and then when I saw all the Postcode Lottery red jackets, I messaged my husband and said, 'It's real!'"

The mum-of-one now wants to help grow her daughter's business, which may entail buying sheep and land.

Torie, a weaver and artist by trade, runs a small clothing business called Feral Fibres, which mostly specialises in wool garments.

She said: "The garments I make are heavily wool-based with a focus more on our ancient past and our ancestors and how they would do it.

"To buy land is the dream because I would love to do some regenerative farming and keep it away from developers."

Torie now has her sights set on moving to Scotland, but Julie also hopes to explore the Highlands and islands and see the Northern Lights in Norway with Paul.

Julie said: "We're not holiday people, but I do think we will be going back to Scotland. I think that will definitely be on the cards next year. Shetland is on my bucket list."

Julie will also be able to help with her husband's retirement in the New Year. She said: "I can help my husband retire; he deserves it. This is for him, too."

Incredibly, it's not the first time neighbours of Marshall Close have tasted a lottery success.

Many of today's winners also won our Daily Prize in January 2020, which landed each player £1,000 for every ticket they held.

Julie said: "I got a golden envelope through the letterbox and it told me I'd won £2,000, and we were absolutely thrilled with that.

"But we didn't want to give up playing because you know it's going to continue to help charities, and there is that little bit in the back of your mind that says, 'Well, it can happen'."

Despite coming into some serious cash, Julie is determined to keep her "old little blue car" instead of splashing out.

She said: "My car's MOT is due the beginning of January and my husband said it's probably not going to pass, or it's going to cost more than the car is worth. But I love that little car. It's brilliant. I might pay to try and get that through the MOT now."

She added: "I don't need a luxury car. I'm really content with my life and we're not flashy."

Julie was also delighted for her neighbours. She said: "I'm so happy that so many of us on the close have won. Everyone around here is hard-working, and we're really close."

Julie was just as pleased when she heard that local charities would also benefit from their win.

She said: "Christmas is a time for giving, and I can give more to the charities that I love, especially animal charities. We're big animal fans in our house."

Directly opposite, Diane Daughtrey hadn't long arrived home from a nightshift before receiving a life-changing cheque for £249,999.

The mum-of-two, who works for Network Rail at her local train station, was left speechless just hours after completing her 10.30pm to 5.30am shift.

Diane said: "I'm gobsmacked and a little overwhelmed. It's really caught me by surprise.

"I didn't expect to win this amount of money. I was quite happy to win £1,000 like I did five years ago."

And after Diane's £1,000 win, she made a shrewd move to play with two more tickets, and now it has paid off in triple as she scored the largest sum on the street.

She said: "I was so pleased when I won £1,000, I gave some of it to my children. And after that, I decided to get two more tickets."

Diane now says she'll work on her house, treat her son and daughter, and then splash out on herself.

She said: "The big thing is that I can take care of the house, and I can give a bit to my children.

"I'm going to Singapore in March, so some of it will go towards spending money, and I can think about myself for a change."

Diane didn't have long to let her big win sink in as she had another seven-hour night shift that evening.

She said: "I'll be thinking about this all night long, that's for sure."

Around the corner, Barbara Edwards will watch her favourite Irish crooner, Daniel O'Donnell, play live again, having already attended nearly 200 shows.

Barbara, who won £83,333, said: "I've followed him for 38 years, I am one of his biggest fans. I've been to America to see him, and I've been all over Ireland. I go to his shows at least five times a year.

"I'll be able to go to even more places to see him now. Next May, I'm going to Bournemouth and then up to Liverpool and then to Croydon to see him.

"I've already got my dresses for each show; I bought them a couple of months ago."

Grandmother Barbara - who also won £1,000 in 2020 and says she'll now buy a second ticket - plans on spoiling their granddaughter with a day out shopping alongside husband Pete.

The couple is also hoping to upgrade their car. Pete said: "I just had the car MOT'd, and we were actually looking in the showroom. I was looking at a nice Volkswagen last week."

Pete - who is also eyeing up a trip to his favourite Greek isle of Kos - added: "This is such a thrill for us and a bonus. We're just over the moon."

Through the wall, their neighbour of 37 years, Pamela Clark, shared the joy with her daughter.

The delighted gran and her nursery worker daughter Rebecca - who still lives at home - each bagged £83,333, just like Barbara.

Now the busy cleaner is planning holidays she's always dreamed of, and retired hubby John has a wish list, too.

She said: "This is way more than I thought I would get: £5,000 to £10,000, I thought that would be it. This has been mind-blowing.

"I've always wanted to go on a Caribbean cruise. Jersey is the only other place I've wanted to go."

Former ground maintenance worker John chipped in: "I'd like to go to Turkey. I've been there before, and I loved it."

Pamela added: "It's lovely to win with my daughter, and amazing that next door has won as well. They have been such good neighbours. I think we might have a drink tonight."

But Pamela has one other purchase in mind. She said: "I want a new gas cooker. The one we have works, but we have to light it with a match."

At the opposite end of the street's little park area, Michael Rhodes said he's now thinking about a trip to live out his fishing dreams after pocketing over £83k.

The passionate angler is hoping to improve his whopping 53.5-lb carp catch by travelling to Euro Aqua, a fishing destination near Lake Balaton in Hungary. It's known for being the home of the world record carp, which weighs over 114 lbs.

Michael said: "We've been to France to fish, and I've caught a few big ones there. I'll definitely think about going to Euro Aqua as they have the biggest carp in the world."

His wife Kim added: "He loves fishing. We usually go to a spot in the New Forest National Park. He'll definitely buy something to do with fishing."

Grandad Michael is now planning to splash out on a holiday with his wife, daughter Debbie, and her family.

The fridge engineer said: "We want to take the kids away on a family holiday to Turkey. I paid the last time we went there, and I'll definitely be paying for this one, too."

Kim, who works in electronics, is retiring shortly and said their win couldn't have come at a better time.

She said: "I'm retiring in March, so this has come at the perfect time. In my head, I was thinking £2,000, and that would have been really nice, but £83,000 is hard to process."

Up the road, NHS worker Paula James also bagged the same sum, and the news comes just as she's about to welcome her first grandchild.

Paula, who works in the radiology department at a local hospital, said: "It's surreal. I've never seen that much money in my life.

"It's a really exciting time as my daughter Amy is due in March, and it's my first grandchild - a baby girl."

The mum-of-three also said it will be a Christmas to remember. Paula added: "I've got about 12 of the family coming to us for Christmas, so I think it'll be a boozy one now."

All the winners were thrilled that their prizes meant local charities also benefitted from their Millionaire Street win.

Postcode Community Trust has awarded the Sussex Snowdrop Trust £90,000.

The charity provides hospital care at home for children with life-threatening or terminal illnesses in West Sussex.

The charity's at-home services include nursing and emotional and financial support for local children and their families.

Diana Levantine, Chairman and Co-Founder, said: "We have a dedicated Care at Home team which sits at the heart of the Sussex Snowdrop Trust, which includes community paediatric nurses, counsellors and support workers.

"The nurses administer medication, take bloods and change dressings and enable parents to feel more confident whilst caring for their sick child."

The charity's counsellors provide vital emotional support throughout the traumatic journey, from diagnosis to, hopefully, full recovery.

Diana added: "£90,000 will contribute massively towards funding the Care at Home team who support Snowdrop children and their families."

Other local organisations awarded funding include:

• My Sister's House - £75,000 Supporting women at risk of domestic abuse and providing trauma-informed services and assistance. Services include financial advice, drop-in sessions, counselling, education, emergency toiletry, and foodbank vouchers.

• Home-Start Chichester & District - £75,000 A local charity supporting families in the area since 2008. They recruit and train volunteers who offer emotional and practical help to families with young children each week.

All funding was awarded by Postcode Community Trust.

Charities Win Too

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