Overjoyed In The Outer Hebrides

It was a spectacular end to the week for 101 islanders in North Uist and Berneray as their postcode sector, HS6 5, shared a £3 Million prize in January's Postcode Millions today.

Two neighbours scooped a whopping £193,055 each when their postcode, HS6 5BJ, was revealed as the full winning postcode at a special event held in Carinish Village Hall. The remaining 99 residents in the sector received different cheque amounts depending on how many tickets they play with. 80 players with one ticket won £21,425 each, and 15 winners doubled their prize to £42,850 each thanks to playing with two tickets. Four lucky winners with three tickets each tripled their prize to £64,275.

Means So Much

Pamela was one of our lucky winners of a staggering £193,055 and was overwhelmed when presented with her cheque. She said, "I'm just numb, my mouth is dry. I'm completely speechless. You just don't believe it will ever happen. I mean that's massive isn't it?! My palms have not stopped sweating. The whole place has been buzzing. It's such a big amount for such a small community. I know pretty much everyone here! It means so much to all of us."

Pamela's husband Angus is a bricklayer, and was working just around the corner when Pamela received her cheque. When she called him to tell him the good news, he didn't believe her. She said, "Angus didn't believe me!  He wasn't taking anything in. He'll get a new quad bike if he's lucky."

Pamela and Angus have two girls they'll treat with their winnings. She said, "I love Disney so I might take my girls to Florida, but I guess I should go somewhere a bit different with this amount. Maybe Finland, or somewhere hot. It's my sister's fortieth soon so we can take a girls' trip away. I don't know, there are so many options!"

When asked what she'd do tonight to celebrate, Pamela said she'd be stopping by fellow-winner Caroline's house. She said, "I'm not going home, I'm going to the pub! I'll be stopping by Caroline's fridge tonight, too. It's stocked up with all sorts of good stuff so lots of us will be there celebrating!"

Weekend Of Celebrations 

Caroline scooped £42,850 since she plays with two tickets. Caroline has fully stocked up her fridge in preparation for the weekend celebrations. She said, "There's champagne, beer, cider, everything you could possibly think of! If people want to then they can come to my fridge. The door's open! They can knock on my door and ring my bell!"

Left Speechless

Our second big winner was Sharon, a retired school teacher. Sharon was left speechless on stage after finding out she'd won £193,055. After taking a few moments to think about what she could do with her winnings she said, "I'm going to take my husband out for dinner!"

After dinner with her husband, Sharon has a few plans for what to do next. She said, "The car probably needs replaced, the outside of the house needs painted, a new mobile for my husband. Maybe a holiday, I've never been on a cruise!" She will also treat her three children and her husband.

Sharon was thrilled for her friends and neighbours in the area. She said, "We all know everyone here. It's lovely that it's not isolated, it's a lot people in the community that have gotten a substantial sum of money."

Island Buzz

Flora was a £21,425 winner. Flora works in the local Co-op supermarket and was excited about how much of an impact the win will have on the community. She said, "It's unreal! There has been such a buzz on the island. Everyone has been coming in the shop and congratulating us. There's nine of us in the Co-op and eight of us have either won or know someone who did. Everyone is buzzing and we're all happy for everyone."

People's Postcode Lottery Presenter Danyl Johnson hosted the event at Carinish Village Hall where he handed out cheques to our winners. Danyl said, "It's certainly been a day to remember in North Uist. We've had prizes in big cities and small villages all over the country, but we've never been to place quite like this before. The views here are stunning and everyone has been so friendly, you can really feel the sense of community here. I am thrilled for all our winners and I know that this prize will not only benefit them, but will have a huge positive impact on everyone on the islands."

See more pictures from the day in our Postcode Millions photo album on Facebook.

Charities Win Too

Players aren't the only ones who benefit from People's Postcode Lottery. 32% of the ticket price goes to charities and good causes. Thanks to our players, over £500 Million has been raised for deserving projects around the world.

This Postcode Millions draw was held on behalf of Postcode Animal Trust that supports charities which promote animal welfare and conservation.

Local good causes have benefited from player support too. Woodland Trust has received over £11.8 Million thanks to players, and part of this funding will enable local island primary school, Sgoil Uibhist a Tuath, to plant 420 trees to create a new native woodland area  

Another nearby cause, Volunteering Hebrides, received £19,861 to support people who are housebound due to physical or mental health issues. The project helped people who may otherwise have experienced social isolation to connect with each other.

Do you have your subscription to People's Postcode Lottery? If you aren't playing yet, check out How It Works and the amazing Prizes that can be won. Why not sign up today and see what you can win?