Liverpool Millionaire Street

AN OVERJOYED mum has won £250,000 after her partner had a dream that she would bag a big cash prize.

Denise, of Liverpool, was left shocked when Presenter Judie McCourt revealed her whopping quarter-of-a-million-pound cheque.

And partner Jo turned to her and said, "I had a dream you won three hundred grand, didn't I?"

Support worker Denise said, "I'm absolutely over the moon. I'm in shock. When the envelope was getting revealed, I thought, two thousand, three thousand maybe, which, you know, I was going to book a holiday for me and my daughter and my partner. When I saw that, it's like, yeah, it's life-changing isn't it?"

Denise shared £1 Million with two other neighbours in Liverpool after L21 8PG landed our weekly Millionaire Street prize today. Every ticket was worth £250,000. But one player doubled her win as she played with two tickets.

Denise originally signed up to play thanks to her mum, who was on hand to lend her support with other members of the family.

She said, "It was my mum who told me to sign up. She only lives round the corner, and she's been doing it for, I think, about five years now. We had a little conversation and she said, 'You should do it,' and I said, "Yeah," and so I've just done it ever since."

Kind-hearted Denise, who has been supporting adults with learning disabilities for the past 20 years, now plans to spoil her family on a special holiday.

Denise said, "You know when you scroll through things, and you look at these gorgeous villas and things like that? Everyone's on a budget. Well, no, I'm not on a budget now. It's all on me!"

Denise also wants to treat her daughter, Jessica, ahead of her school prom. She said, "We'll have a shopping spree day."

The grateful mum, who is currently on a week's annual leave, added, "I've got a lot of thinking and planning to do."

Window cleaner Jo couldn't believe her dream had come true and was able to take the rest of the day off work. She said, "I've just rung him (my boss) and said I can't go back, not today."

The couple have been together for six months but have known each other for around a year. Jo said, "She's my person," then joked, "before the money!"

Across the road, stunned Mandy banked a cool half-million.

Centre technician Mandy at first exclaimed, "I've just won a quarter-of-a-million pounds on the Postcode Lottery!" before Judie McCourt revealed that she'd actually won double that amount as she played with two tickets.

Mandy now plans to celebrate with her three children. She said, "We'll definitely go out for a meal somewhere and it won't be McDonald's, which is their favourite."

She added that going on holiday with her children would be a top priority.

Mandy, who has been working in the education department at Southport Hospital for the past three years, also said a house move might be on the cards or home renovations as she likes living on her street.

She said, "It's lovely. Everyone knows each other. We're always out helping each other as needs be. We all get on well. It's quite a quiet little road."

She added, "I'm sure we'll all celebrate tonight with a drink."

The win comes just two months after seven players in Liverpool won our Street Prize earlier this year. The neighbours in Garston bagged £30,000 each after L19 1RN was announced as the winner on Sunday 26 May. And one winner, Jo, kept dreaming of the number three before winning her £30,000 cheque.

Mandy revealed that she first signed up to play as she liked the charity aspect of People's Postcode Lottery. She said, "I thought it was quite a good [lottery] because it was giving back to charities and communities."

And she will be delighted to learn that charities in Liverpool have also benefitted from the Millionaire Street prize.

Local Charities Benefit

One local organisation, Brunswick Youth and Community Centre, has been awarded £40,000 by Postcode Community Trust.

The charity, which can welcome 700 people through the doors every week, aims to create a safer, stronger and more cohesive community in Bootle and South Sefton, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Valerie Johnson, Development Manager at Brunswick Youth and Community Centre, said, "I like to think of The Brunny, as it's known in the community, as a little oasis in the heart of Bootle. Whatever's going on in your life, this is a safe and welcoming space."

The Brunny provides an outdoor play area and multiple children's groups, a community garden, wellbeing studio, indoor 5-a-side pitch, English lessons for foreign nationals, pensioners groups, and support with training and employment.

The funding is particularly poignant for Centre Manager Keith Lloyd, a former youth worker, who's been coming to The Brunny since he was a child.

He said, "We were founded in 1947 by British prisoners of war in Braunschweig, Germany - hence the name The Brunswick.

"This incredible funding, thanks to players of People's Postcode Lottery, will enable us to keep extending our services to make a real difference in this community - just as our founders imagined."

Other local charities who have benefitted thanks to Millionaire Street include:

• Kindfulness Coffee Club - £25,000 Providing a range of services to support mental health and emotional and social well-being to help reduce loneliness and build confidence. Services include 'Gingerbread', a project where toys and gifts are donated throughout the year for children who otherwise may not receive Christmas presents.

• Ykids Ltd - £50,000 Working in the local area and across the Merseyside region to improve the lives of children and young people living in deprived areas. They run a variety of events, projects, groups, mentoring programmes, sports and arts initiatives and a community pantry.

• The Orrell Trust - £20,000 A small charity tackling issues of social deprivation and disadvantage in Bootle and the surrounding areas. They aim to respond to the needs of the community and run groups and deliver projects to reduce loneliness and isolation, as well as promote wellbeing.

All funding was awarded by Postcode Community Trust.

Deserving Projects

Today's prize is part of a draw promoted on behalf of Postcode International Trust. 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, ActionAid 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.