Droylsden residents hit jackpot by winning £3 million

A record number of residents in Droylsden are celebrating winning a whopping £3 million between them, after their lucky postcodes came up trumps in the People's Postcode Lottery. 

Some 2,218 players of the Postcode Lottery in the town were told the good news on Friday (28 August), after their postcode sector M43 7 was revealed during a special Facebook Live video.

But the biggest - and potentially life-changing - prizes were won by those whose postcode is M43 7PE.

Eight neighbours on Cypress Road - where there have been winners in the past - each picked up cheques for a magnificent £125,000, while two others doubled their winnings to an incredible £250,000 each - because they were playing with two tickets! 

The remaining 2,208 winners received cheques depending on the number of tickets they played with.

Players with one ticket got £617, and those with two tickets picked up £1,234.

There were 18 people who played with three tickets so they won £1,851 each - and three winners played with four tickets so they pocketed £2,468.

What a way to start the bank holiday weekend - congratulations to them all! 

There have been many winners of £1,000 across Tameside through the People's Postcode Lottery, while three residents on Saxon Drive in Audenshaw each scooped £30,000 back in March. 

'I won't sleep tonight!' 

Julie, a grandmother of six, found out she'd won an amazing cheque for £125,000 via a video call with People's Postcode Lottery presenter Matt Johnson.

"Oh my God, I didn't expect that. Is it real?!" she exclaimed. "I'll not be able to sleep tonight with excitement because of this. I'm completely and utterly shocked, and I'm never lost for words."

Having not been able to see some of her family during lockdown, Julie is planning to use part of her winnings to "treat all the family and do something special together".

'This means absolutely everything' 

On seeing her cheque for £125,000, bar worker Shanice, who welcomed baby Scarlett into the world just 10 weeks ago, said: "Wow, I can't believe it. I can't stop looking at the cheque. This means absolutely everything to me."

'I'm going to get my teeth done!' 

Another big winner was Philip, who is a health and safety officer. He was in his car on his lunch break with his wife Tracy when he found out the good news.

He said: "This is absolutely amazing. I've never won anything in my life before." 

Tracy added: "I can't tell you what this means to us. We've both had Covid-19 and times have been tough, so this is just amazing. 

"I'm going to get my teeth done and we'll book a holiday for next year. We both love Morocco and Marrakesh is our favourite spot, it's just beautiful. Maybe we'll even upgrade our holiday now!"

'What a great start to the weekend' 

After delivering the good news to some of the winners, People's Postcode Lottery presenter Matt Johnson said: "Wow - what a phenomenal number of players celebrating a win in Droylsden! Getting to meet some of our wonderful players and telling them just how much they've won is one of my favourite moments of the month.

"There's been some fantastic reactions to the good news from our winners, and what a great start to the weekend for so many neighbours in the community. A huge congratulations to all 2,218 of our winners throughout the M43 7 postcode area."

How the Postcode Lottery helps charities worldwide 

The Postcode Millions prize claimed by over 2,000 winners in Droylsden was part of a draw promoted by Postcode Earth Trust, which supports charities and good causes that encourage the appreciation of the natural, creative and built environment. Some of the organisations that benefited from player funding through this trust include National Trust, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, and National Trust for Scotland.

Local good causes have also benefited from player support. Earlier this year, Mustard Tree was awarded £20,000. Its freedom project, a life and work vocational skills programme, will support hundreds of people who are experiencing homelessness or living in poverty in Greater Manchester.

With People's Postcode Lottery, 32 per cent of the ticket price goes to charities and good causes. Players have funded over 8,500 good causes across Britain and beyond. To date, players have raised more than £600 million for community projects and charitable organisations.

Anyone who wants to find out more about Postcode Lottery can visit www.postcodelottery.co.uk or head to Facebook and Twitter.