Winners Revel In Wythenshawe

AN ENTIRE community turned out in force to party after winning a £3.2 million People's Postcode Lottery prize.

Hundreds of excited neighbours packed into trams, cars, taxis and buses to travel seven miles from their homes in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, to the Manchester Central venue after landing windfalls in November's Postcode Millions.

And two of them - who live just one door apart - bagged an incredible £403,641 each.

As the electric atmosphere buzzed around her, Michelle Davidson - clutching her bumper cheque - said: "I've been nervous since I got the envelope. I was bouncing up and down. We were expecting a grand.

"But now I'm on cloud nine and just floating away. It is unbelievable to win with the whole community."

Her husband Brett said: "One of our friends here has won a small amount, and he is putting the money into the boxing club in the community.

"It is amazing to be part of that. It feels homely; you can feel the warmth."

Christina Megson choked back tears as she collected the whopping winnings on behalf of her mum, Ruth, who was at work. She added: "My mum will be gobsmacked. It's very rare that we win anything, but to actually win something like this is amazing.

"It makes you feel proud that so many people are willing to come together and be part of the celebration."

Michelle and Ruth landed their prizes in Wythenshawe - former home of fighter Tyson Fury, Royle Family star Caroline Aherne and Coronation Street actor Simon Gregson - after M22 8BJ was announced as the winner of our £3.2m Postcode Millions prize today. Every ticket in the full winning postcode was worth £403,641.

A further 466 people playing in the wider Wythenshawe sector of M22 8 received cheques ranging from £4,463 to £17,852, depending on how many tickets they played with.

Sainsbury's sales assistant Michelle and hubby Brett reckon their win is down to Brett's mum, Christine, who died of pancreatic cancer eight years ago.

Car parts supplier Brett said: "This is my mum looking down on me. She would have done anything for anybody. She just made sure that everyone was set up and okay.

"We gave my aunt Michelle's old car when she got another one recently. She said she was going to talk to my mum, and then just a few days later, we got the letter through the post from People's Postcode Lottery.

"I do believe in stuff like that. When my grandma passed away, one night I had a warm feeling and I saw her at the end of the bed, and she was saying, 'Everything's going to be okay.'

"Then my aunt saying she was going to have a word with my mum just two weeks ago, and this has happened!"

At first, Michelle was handed a cheque for £4,463 and was happy with that. Then, she was invited onto the stage to be presented with a new cheque after her postcode was revealed as the full winner.

She said: "I didn't expect it at all. It was like, 'Wow, no way we've won that much.' I still can't believe it now. My heart was racing, and my reaction was to scream."

Brett said: "I didn't see the amount at first because I was standing at the side of the stage. But I saw Michelle's face!

"The only thing I've ever won that means anything to me is Michelle's heart. How I feel now is how I felt on the day we got married."

The couple now has big plans for their new fortune - including helping their nail technician daughter Evelyn and student son Michael, jetting off on a glitzy holiday, and helping charity.

They'll trade in their kids' Toyota Aygos for bigger cars - and will gift them a £25,000 nest egg each.

And they have vowed to splash out £1,000 on toys for a Christmas charity appeal.

Brett said: "Tenerife is already booked and paid for next year, but we'll be going to Hawaii for our 25th wedding anniversary now in 2026.

"Since my mum and dad passed away, we have done a lot of charity things. We'll spend £1,000 on toys for charity.

"We'd rather see someone else enjoying their Christmas. We're happy with ourselves and the kids."

Formula 1 fan Brett hopes to persuade his winning wife to take him to a live race, but he's not bothered about going abroad.

Brett, who drives a yellow limited-edition Audi A1, said: "Places like Monaco are way too expensive for what you see. I might try and twist someone's arm and go to Silverstone.

"I'm going to keep my car, but we'll get Michelle a new one. Probably an automatic this time because she's got arthritis in her knees."

Ruth Megson - who lives two doors down - asked council care arranger daughter Christina to pick up her cheque.

Earlier, Ruth's sister Julie Green won £8,926 as she played with two tickets. Then Julie called Ruth at work to reveal she had bagged one of the two big prizes - after Christina went on stage to accept the cheque.

In a FaceTime call, hospital caterer Ruth said she found out about her bumper win while serving tea to patients.

She said: "I've not had a lot of time to process it. I just came in to do a brew run for the patients when I found out. My colleagues are all really pleased for me."

Ruth, who was going back to serve up more cuppas, sandwiches, and soup, said she'd treat her daughter, who lives with her, and her sister.

She added: "I'll help my daughter, and I'll probably help my sister out if I can.

"I joined Postcode Lottery to help charities out. It's a bit easier than everyone bombarding you - it's an easy way of doing it."

Daughter Christina said: "We've just moved into our house, and quite a few things need fixing. We'll use some of it to sort out what needs done, like the bathroom and heating. The rest of it will be a bonus."

She added: "My mum's not one for going abroad. Her favourite place is Anglesey in Wales. We have family in the Philippines and South Africa, and I would love to visit them."

Grandmother Julie said of her own win: "I wasn't even expecting that, I was banking on a grand. I haven't a clue what I'm going to do with it.

"I'm glad my sister's won big, but she might treat me too!"

The hospital caterer added: "I've got two children and five grandchildren, and I'll see if they get treated at Christmas - but they'll have to be good."

Winning postman Andrew Powney became the toast of Wythenshawe when he delivered lots of golden envelopes through letter boxes.

Andrew, who has been delivering in the M22 area for 20 years, scooped £4,463. But thanks to his daily rounds, he was able to spread the good news to others.

Dad-of-two Andrew was blown away when he saw his own winning envelope among all the others in his local sorting office.

Andrew - dad to Abbie and Oliver - opened it in front of his boss, who was just as excited as he was.

He beamed: "I delivered a lot of the winning envelopes to people who are here today, which is so nice. I've had a lot of people coming up to me and thanking me!

"I didn't deliver my own envelope. I collected it from work, in the sorting office. You have to get your own mail signed off by a manager before you can take it away. He told me he would sign it as long as I opened it there and then in front of him! So he signed it, and we opened it, and I found out I had won People's Postcode Lottery. What a great feeling."

He added: "It's amazing. It's a lot more than I thought I was going to get. It's going to be a great Christmas this year. Like a lot of people, I thought I was going to get £1,000, so this is such a great surprise.

"It's so good for Wythenshawe, too, because it's a really good community. I didn't deliver to the two really big winners, but I know the postman who did so, hopefully, he'll get a nice tip at Christmas."

Great-granddad Mark Lyons was a double-amount winner, and he credited his late wife, Rosemarie, who died suddenly seven years ago.

Widower Mark, who has four children, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, kept paying the direct debit for Rosemarie's ticket and had it transferred over to him.

The retired former soldier and postman is now looking forward to splashing out some of his £8,926 on his family.

He smiled: "I reckon Rosemarie has helped me win this today - she has been looking out for me.

"I was determined to keep both tickets going. I phoned up and got hers transferred over to me, so I have kept up both payments ever since.

"And I'm glad I did because I am sure she has helped me win this. She would have been delighted, and I know she would have wanted me to carry on with hers, which I did.

"It'll be a good Christmas, and now I can spend a bit more on presents."

Special-needs teacher Stacie Scott and fiancé Jethro Forbes were celebrating a £4,463 win. But for amputee Jethro, it caps off a fantastic year.

He and his teenage son Dexter are currently appearing in the Channel Four survival programme 'Into the Jungle with Ed Stafford'.

He said: "Me and my son Dexter applied to do it - it's a six-part documentary and we're in all of them. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences and we're so glad we did it. It was such an amazing experience.

"And now this has happened to us too. It's just amazing."

Jethro was born with the genetic condition Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease which causes muscle weakening.

He said: "Over the years, the disease progresses and gets worse, and after a period of time I took the decision to have part of my leg amputated. That was three years ago.

"I've just recently left my job with the council due to the condition getting worse. I'm still working, but I'm now doing office duties until they can find me a better role.

"We just thought we were going to win a grand. When you see this many people, you just assume that you're not going to win big, so we would have been happy with £1,000."

Mum-of-two Stacie said: "We haven't planned anything. He was spending it all in his head, and I was saying, 'Now, let's be realistic.'"

She added: "We're getting married, but we haven't set a date because I want to get my braces off first. So it will be in two years.

"It will be a quiet Christmas because it's really just us and the kids."

Double-ticket winner Chris Ward missed the big reveal because he had to wait at home for carpet fitters to arrive.

And by the time he turned up at the venue, most of the other winners had already headed home.

But it came as a wonderful surprise when he opened the last envelope of the day to find a cheque for £8,926.

Chris, who has seven children and seven grandchildren, said he'll be forking out on some pretty special Christmas presents.

He smiled: "Five of my children are girls, and six of my grandchildren are girls, and they're all going to have a great Christmas."

Chris counts himself lucky just to be still alive after suffering a major heart attack a few years ago.

He explained: "I was a heavy goods driver and I had a heart attack while driving my truck to Newcastle and back.

"I didn't realise I was having a heart attack - I actually ended up losing 68 per cent of my heart. I survived on 32 per cent and was medically retired at the age of 39. I'm absolutely fine most days, just tired."

Chris said he didn't mind being late for the big reveal because he was determined not to miss the carpet fitters.

He said: "I couldn't leave - I had to wait to let them in.

"I was just expecting it to be £1,000 a ticket, and because I have two, I honestly thought I would be walking out of here with two grand. To get four times that is absolutely amazing. I'll be throwing a big party this weekend, definitely."

Local good causes close to the winners in Wythenshawe, Manchester, have also benefitted from money raised by Postcode Lottery players.

Blossom - Health Through Activity, based in Wythenshawe Park, received £25,000 in funding this year. It aims to support well-being through a variety of workshops and sustainable practices and promote environmental awareness. Its activities include food-growing classes, cooking, plant care, and garden maintenance.

Supporting Good Causes

Today's prize is part of a draw promoted on behalf of Postcode Earth Trust. Supported by our players, this trust provides regular grant funding to organisations that work to raise awareness and understanding of the natural, creative and built environment. Benefitting charities include Canal & River Trust, Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Keep Britain Tidy.

It's not just People's Postcode Lottery winners who benefit though. Our amazing players have raised more than £1.4 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 that 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?