Wokingham Millionaire Street

Brian, a relieved dad, stopped his wife cancelling his People's Postcode Lottery ticket - and won £100,000 days later.

He talked Valentina round just in time to be included in the December draws and shared a £1 Million prize with his street.

Brian of Wokingham, Berkshire, said, "I convinced my wife to keep playing. Thank goodness we didn't cancel! Can you imagine? I'll be getting another ticket now."

Project manager Valentina said, "I was going to cancel it last month. I'm eating my words right now. I don't think Brian would have talked to me for a few months."

Brian shared £1 Million with eight other neighbours after RG40 1LL was announced as the winner of our weekly Millionaire Street prize. Each ticket was worth £100,000. One person doubled their prize to £200,000 thanks to playing with two tickets.

Getting Over The Shock

The People's Postcode Lottery team visited Brian and his winning neighbours ahead of Christmas to give them the good news. Our draws are completed at the start of each month, with winning postcodes announced every day.

That meant Brian could start planning just ahead of Christmas time and wanted to give his two sons a Christmas to remember. He might also upgrade his Honda VFR motorbike as a treat to himself.

He said, "I was just going up in the lift to a briefing in my work when I got the call that I'd won. I thought it was a spam call.

"I'm ecstatic, really happy. We've got two young boys and they're going to have a great Christmas.

"I might be upgrading my bike, but I've got no idea at the moment because I just have to get over the shock of this first."

Wife Valentina revealed her wish list - a set of posh HexClad pots and pans.

She laughed, "I've wanted them for a while now. I have them on my phone... look."

Going Down Under

Round the corner, Jason got his £100,000 cheque, then turned to his elderly parents and declared, "They're going to Australia."

Jason revealed he had been researching direct flights to Oz for mum Erica and dad Clive since getting the call that he'd won.

The white goods service engineer said, "This is them just finding out that I want to send them to Australia to see my brother.

"He's coming here next year, but I'd like them to try and go before that."

Jason added, "The other option might be if the family went to Thailand and my brother met us in the middle."

He also wanted to give his two sons a Christmas to remember.

He said, "I've got two sons, so we're going to have a good Christmas. I can't believe this, it's £99,000 more than I thought it was going to be."

He added, "My mum's not happy, she's been playing longer than me and has never won."

A Happy Place

Earlier this month, Wokingham was voted one of the happiest places to live in Britain in a survey published by estate agents Rightmove.

And winning neighbour Russell whooped, "It's just become even happier today!"

Dad-of-three Russell and wife Natalie will take their kids on a dream trip to Disneyland, as well as trading in their 10-year-old Vauxhall Zafira.

The engineering recruitment firm owner said, "I always play the lottery, I'm a bit of a chancer.

"I love the concept of People's Postcode Lottery. You're sharing with the community and giving to charities, plus there's a chance of winning yourself. I can't believe it, I'm absolutely ecstatic."

He added, "We'll be going on some holidays. My three kids have always wanted to go to Disneyland. And I'll definitely upgrade the car."

We Can Go Anywhere

Lorry driver Peter is planning a return to Florida with wife Louise after his win.

Dad-of-three Peter, formerly of Craigneuk, in Wishaw, Lanarkshire, said, "I didn't know what to think, I was taken by surprise.

"We'll have a lovely holiday. We can go anywhere now, maybe even Florida again."

Catering worker wife Louise said, "I wished one day someone would knock on our door. Now you have, I cannot put into words how I feel. What a Christmas we're going to have. This means such a lot to us."

Local Charities Benefiting

Thanks to the Millionaire Street win, Link Visiting Scheme in Wokingham also received good Christmas tidings after being awarded £35,000.

The charity aims to provide vital social connections to isolated older people and offers life-enhancing services and activities for its service users.

Marjie Walker, CEO at Link Visiting Scheme said, "Our service users need additional and immediate on-the-ground support to help reduce their social isolation and feelings of loneliness. Of the 552 service users we look after right now 30 desperately require connection with volunteers - this is our most stretched point of the year."

From one-to-one befriending sessions and group events to wellness-driven initiatives such as wheelchair yoga and outdoor activities that reconnect the elderly with nature, the charity has supported more than 700 service users in 2023.

"Thanks to funding raised by the players of People's Postcode Lottery we now have a game-changing financial boost to our recruitment drive," added Marjie. "It will help us rapidly build our network of essential volunteer staff and improve the lives of isolated older people with friendship, fun and laughter."

Link Visiting Scheme's dedicated team of volunteers received The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2021. Equivalent to an MBE, it's the highest recognition of voluntary service in the UK.

Other charities in the Wokingham area receiving funding as a result of today's Millionaire Street prize win include:

• Involve Community Services - £75,000 Involve Community Services is a local support organisation for voluntary and community organisations in Bracknell Forest and Wokingham. They operate a cancer support service, social prescribing and friendship alliance.

• Citizens Advice Wokingham - £40,000 Citizens Advice Wokingham offer free, impartial and confidential advice to people living locally in times of difficulty.

• First Days Children's Charity - £40,000 First Days Children's Charity provides support to families experiencing financial hardship emotionally and practically. They also distribute essential items and help families access the support they need.

• ARC project - £30,000 ARC is an organisation that provides a free and confidential youth counselling and low-cost adult counselling service.

• Younger People With Dementia (Berkshire) CIO - £50,000 Younger People With Dementia support people living with young-onset dementia (YOD) through activity workshops, education, training, social events and support groups.

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

Supporting Good Causes

Today's prize is part of a draw promoted on behalf of Postcode Animal Trust (opens in a new tab). Supported by our players, this trust's mission is to educate, support and promote animal welfare and conservation, and demonstrate the enjoyment that animals bring to people's lives. Benefiting charities include Battersea, Cats Protection and PDSA.

It's not just People's Postcode Lottery winners who benefit though. Our amazing players have raised more than £1.2 Billion for thousands of good causes across Britain and around the world. 33% of the ticket price funds life-changing projects which make a difference to people and the planet. Find out more about the range of charities and good causes our players support.

Want to know more about People's Postcode Lottery? Take a look at our How It Works page and check out all the fabulous Prizes our players can win every single month. Why not sign up to play today?