Three people in Burnham-On-Sea are celebrating this week after scooping an incredible £30,000 prize each.
It comes after their Burnham postcode, TA8 1ND, was announced as a winner with the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Nicolas Paraskeva, 55, a father-of-one who has worked as a taxi driver for 23 years, can’t wipe the smile from his face after discovering how big the cheque is inside his golden envelope.
He said: “This is a life changing amount of money for me and the most wonderful surprise. Of all the postcodes that could have been picked I can’t believe mine has come up – I feel incredibly lucky just now!”
With Nicolas planning to hang up the keys to his cab and retire in the next few years, the windfall couldn’t have come at a better time.
He commented: “Myself and my partner Denise have been trying to save up for our retirement but to be honest I’ve not really been able to contribute much and didn’t think I’d be able to really put anything into the fund but that’s all changed now! This is going to be a lovely nest egg for us both to enjoy.”
“Denise and I are also celebrating 30 years together later this year, so I think we might pop to Venice. We’ve always spoken about it but now I can afford to take the time off work which is a real rarity. Who knows what else will happen, we might even get married.”
Presenting Nicolas with his prize for £30,000 was People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Judie McCourt, pictured.
She said: “I’ve had a lovely time by the seaside in Burnham-On-Sea and hearing how Nicolas plans to spend his winnings – I hope he has a great time in Venice. I’m thrilled for him, as well as his two neighbours.”
The two remaining winners couldn’t be there to collect their cheques, but the prize money will be paid directly to their bank accounts.
A minimum of 32% of ticket sales goes directly to charities and players of People’s Postcode Lottery have helped raise more than £427 million to date for good causes across Great Britain and internationally.
This draw was promoted on behalf of Dogs Trust, which has received over £11.7 million thanks to player support. This funding is used for the day-to-day running of the 19 rehoming centres that Dogs Trust have across Great Britain, helping to care for approximately 15,000 dogs that have either been abandoned, given up by their owners or found as strays.
Local charities benefit from player support too. Last year Compass Disability Services was awarded £8,062 to set up a community choir for young carers and young people with additional support needs, helping to reduce feelings of isolation and improve their self-esteem.
