Chester Millionaire Street

A HORSE-racing fan is saddling up to buy a stake in the next Grand National winner after bagging a £333,333 lottery win - but only if his wife agrees.

Roly told us how he's always dreamed of having his own racehorse. The dad-of-one, of Chester, Cheshire, said, "I haven't decided what I will spend it on, everything will be subject to spousal approval, obviously. A holiday, I'm sure. It's my little girl's fourth birthday next month, so I'm sure she'll get some treats.

"I would say buy a horse, but I don't think I would get away with that. I'm a massive racing fan so I'd like to buy even the leg of a horse, but I'm not sure I'll get that one approved. Who knows?"

Roly shared the Millionaire Street pot with two neighbours in Chester after CH2 3RT won our Millionaire Street £1m prize today. Every ticket was worth £333,333.

Roly, who fell in love with racing after volunteering at York Racecourse, revealed the win has come just 11 days before the start of Chester's biggest meet, the Boodles May Festival.

He said, "I feel shocked, but surreal. It hasn't quite sunk in yet. I think to anyone this sort of money will really make a difference.

"Our daughter's four so we've got a lot of things to look forward to with her in life. But there are a lot of things we will want to save money for. University fees are a long way off, but things like that, and this will really, really help make sure that she's got everything that she needs.

"I'll finish the garden which you couldn't go into because it's a wasteland at the back - a building site."

Roly and his clinical pharmacist wife Sian initially thought the win was a set-up by one of their prankster pals.

He said, "I've got a few mates and we sort of play the odd practical joke. I told my best mate and I was like, 'This isn't you, is it?' And then the more it started happening I was like, 'I'm not sure that he's got the resources to hire different people from Scotland and set up a web domain'."

He added, "It was then I thought it was real. I thought the maximum, which would have been amazing, would have been the £30,000 Street Prize."

And he was delighted to win with one of his close neighbours, Geoff, who landed the same amount.

He said, "It's really nice, really lovely to win with my neighbours because we know them and they're lovely people. It's really nice to share it with them."

Roly has two charities close to his heart, supported by players of People's Postcode Lottery: Cats Protection and Canal & River Trust.

He said, "We have a deaf house cat called Lola who I got from Cats Protection about 12 years ago. That's a charity that I support anyway and it's great that People's Postcode Lottery supports them as well.

"The Canal & River Trust is a charity that a lot of people in Chester support because the canal is a really big issue around here. It gets publicised quite a lot in the media, so it's really good that Postcode Lottery also supports that."

He added, "Knowing that this helps local charities, I think, does make it a little bit better. Feeling like you've helped out a bit, however indirectly, through playing, is good."

Home Sweeter Home

Retired draftsman Geoff said he'll use his winnings to modify his bungalow to make life better for his poorly wife Pat, who's currently in hospital.

Grandad Geoff, who has vascular Parkinson's, said, "This is good, a good moment really. It is absolutely excellent.

"My wife is in hospital, so we need to do some modifications to the house so that it is more accessible for when she comes out. I have vascular Parkinson's which makes life difficult getting around. I need a few things doing to make life easier in the house."

He added, "This is an incredible amount of money. As soon as we can we'll get all the family together."

Charities Win Too

Both winners spoke of the importance of signing up for People's Postcode Lottery so charities can benefit.

And one local charity, The Bren Project, has been awarded £70,000 by Postcode Community Trust thanks to their wins.

The independent charity offers people with learning disabilities and autism the opportunity to experience supported, bespoke work placements in and around Chester.

Bren Bikes, a working bicycle workshop, is one of the services the charity operates. The in-house training programme supports beneficiaries in developing a wide range of employability skills, overseen by qualified mechanics.

Andrew Ashford, Charity Manager at The Bren Project, said, "The funding we have been awarded has come as a complete shock and will go a long way in supporting the maintenance of our core services - The Bren Project, Bren Bikes and our Wellbeing Hub - as well as kick-starting expansions plans for our long-awaited café, to sit alongside our Bren Bikes provision."

Bren Bikes is a hub of activity for cycling enthusiasts across Cheshire, being positioned in the centre of the North Wales Coastal Route. In 2023 alone the workshop refurbished over 1,500 bicycles.

Andrew added, "The Bren Project has become so ingrained in the wider Cheshire community so it feels very special to be able to start planning our next exciting project, which will help us support more of the community who live with learning disabilities and autism."

Other charities in the area which have benefited from a share in the Millionaire Street pot include:

• Live! Cheshire - £70,000 A charity providing a variety of inclusive and accessible social activities and clubs for all ages. Helping people to have fun, improve confidence and physical well-being and develop social and vocational skills.

• Cheshire Community Council (known as Cheshire Community Action) - £50,000 A charity that aims to engage and support Cheshire communities in helping to influence the places, spaces and services that are important to them. Their key goals include facilitating community-led housing, tackling social isolation and enabling better access to health and social care services.

• SPACE - £70,000 Their mission is to relieve isolation experienced by children with additional needs and their families by providing fully accessible support and facilities. Their centre includes a fully accessible play frame and play area, a fully fitted sensory room, a versatile activity room and a changing place with a hoist.

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

Deserving Projects

Today's prize is part of a draw promoted on behalf of Postcode International Trust (opens in a new tab). Supported by our players, this trust delivers grant funding to organisations that work to alleviate poverty, hunger and enable food security. Benefiting charities include Action Against Hunger, Mary's Meals and British Red Cross.

Players aren't the only ones who benefit from People's Postcode Lottery. 33% of the ticket price goes to charities and good causes. Thanks to our players, more than £1.3 Billion has been raised for thousands of deserving projects around the world.

Not playing yet? Do you know about all the amazing Prizes our players can win? Learn about how People's Postcode Lottery works and sign up to play today.