Sunday Street Prize For South Shields

Five neighbours in South Shields are celebrating this week after landing £30,000 each after their postcode, NE34 6QG, was drawn as the winner of the Sunday Street Prize.

Colin Makepeace was one of the winners. "I don't think it'll fully sink in until it's in the bank!" he said. "I'm off to Lanzarote with my daughter next month anyway, so it'll mean I can splurge a bit more there, and my mates are going away to Benidorm at the end of the month too so I'll be able to join them now. After that, the money will really just help me to get a bit of my social life back – I'm a taxi driver, so I'll be able to take a few more Saturday nights off."

Colin originally started playing People's Postcode Lottery to help raise money for charity. "I think it's a great way to give to a variety of charities. PDSA are one of the supported charities and they provided me with fantastic support before my dog died and also when my son's dog got hit by a car, so I'm happy that they are benefitting – winning is an unexpected bonus!"

Colin's neighbour Peter Laycock was also shocked by the win. "I can't believe it – you never think it's going to happen to you. I want to retire soon, so £30,000 is going to make things a lot easier. My wife Evie's sister lives in Australia and we've never been to visit her before so I think a trip will be on the cards too."

The win came at the perfect time for Craig King, who knows exactly what he's going to spend his win on, "I've been saving up to buy a flat for ages, so I'm actually going to be able to go for it now. I'm going to start looking as soon as possible."

There were two other £30,000 winners who were not home to receive their cheques, though their winnings will be deposited directly into their bank accounts.

People's Postcode Lottery Ambassador Judie McCourt said, "I had a brilliant day handing out cheques in South Shields! I'm sure they will all enjoy spending their winnings."

As Colin said, a variety of charities benefit from players. One cause near today's big winners that has received support from players is Bright Futures NE. An award of £8,757 was provided last year to a community ambassador project to engage young women to become role models within the community.

There were also celebrations in Bere Regis this weekend, as players in BH20 7HH also scooped £30,000 for each of their tickets.