Miss Beryl At Your Peril!

With the biggest heart of gold, wise-cracking Essex gran Beryl Joyce is the wheelchair-bound star of a new TV documentary about one of People's Postcode Lottery's most memorable Millions events.

The Essex Island That Won The Lottery is now available to watch on ITVX.

It provides an uplifting and heartwarming narrative, following a group of lottery winners in the traditional, working-class seaside town of Canvey Island, which is rejuvenated by a £17.3 Million Christmas windfall, our biggest-ever prize draw at the time.

The 60-minute film, shot in December, 2023 by Firecrest Films and Specky Productions highlights an under-represented community and brings to light inspiring stories of individuals improving their lives amidst a cost-of-living crisis.

Among the notable characters featured are:

• Grandmother Beryl, the proud owner of a mobility scooter she calls Carlos (since she lost her car, hence "Car-loss"). She generously donates a chunk of her £13,000 winnings to the local OAP club and other charities.

• Sheila Ely, Beryl's best friend and the biggest winner with £800,000, who invests in adapting and future-proofing her home to help accommodate her MS.

• Kash, a local window fitter who uses his £13,000 prize to create a new bedroom for his daughter Summer and to install a GPS system on his equally-beloved boat.

• Sandra, the local postmistress who treats herself to a Harrods handbag whilst donating a portion of her £13,000 winnings to a charity for disabled children, where she's been volunteering since she was the Canvey Queen in 1983.

The film will be the third in a hugely-successful series of programmes which began with Channel 4's brilliant The Island That Won The Lottery, which was filmed in North Uist.

That was followed up by the same channel with The Welsh Valley That Won The Lottery, about the impact of a Postcode Lottery Millions win in the small mining community of Rhymney.

In Canvey Island the undoubted star of the show is Beryl. One of our team who spent the day with her said: "Honestly, she was beaming from ear to ear and had the crew spellbound with her infectious laugh, positive energy and brilliant stories. What a character.

"After receiving her cheque, Beryl promptly told everyone within earshot that the first thing she would do was give £300 to her favourite local charity.

"I can't wait to see this TV documentary and relive some of those special moments."