Salisbury neighbours win a share of £1m on Postcode Lottery

A group of Salisbury neighbours have won big on the Postcode Lottery, winning a share of a £1 million prize.

Daniel Christmas, along with his neighbours, has been given the perfect present after winning £125,000 on the Postcode Lottery - despite previously cancelling his ticket. 

Daniel, 42, had stopped his subscription – but rejoined after a nudge from his wife, Gemma. 

Now the couple are making plans for their whopping windfall as they prepare to move to a new home in Salisbury, Wiltshire, within days.

Relieved, Daniel said, “I cancelled it for a little while, but Gemma convinced me to restore it. Thank goodness she did.” 

Gemma, 42, laughed: “Good job I nudged him!”

Daniel shared a £1m pot with six other neighbours in Salisbury after SP1 3RD landed the lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street prize on Saturday 2 May. Every ticket was worth £125,000, but one player doubled their prize with two.

Daniel, chief infrastructure officer for a market research and marketing company, said: “The lifelong dream has been to own a Porsche…a black one. A 911 of some description. I might be able to do that now, but equally, I have to be sensible.

“There’s not a lot of work to do to the house we’re moving to because it’s a new build again. We’re upsizing to a four-bedroom detached compared to our three-bedroom semi. 

We’ve got room to expand, so that’s something we might do. If we can do the extension as soon as we move in, that would be a much better use of the money.”

Gemma’s also got houses and cars on her mind. She said: “We’re in the process of moving. All the boxes are upstairs at the moment. This is definitely going to help towards the move. There will be lots of new furniture coming.

“We’re never won anything in our lives and, because we’re moving house, the timing is just mad.

“I like Minis. I would like a second car; it would be so much better and more helpful.”

She added: “We’ll definitely go out for dinner when our daughter gets in. She likes her horse-riding so will have her eye on that as well.”

The couple were at Southbourne Beach, Bournemouth, almost 30 miles away, when they got a call to say they’d won – but didn't quite believe it.

Daniel said: “We were sitting on a beach at the time. It was only when the neighbours messaged that we believed it."

And he added with a laugh: “Then we started singing the tune.”

Meanwhile, the Christmas's friend and neighbour Ron Innell, 87, also landed a £125,000 prize - and the widower says he’s ready to celebrate in style with a solo cruise.

The RAF veteran - who earned medals during the Aden Emergency in the 1960s - turned detective when he was trying to figure out what he’d won before Postcode Lottery staff knocked on his door.

Ron said: “It’s just wonderful, absolutely wonderful. I can’t believe it was that amount. There are so many houses in the area. I know there’s 43 just in my postcode.”

Ron, who served in Aden, Yemen, in the mid-1960s during the height of the conflict, said the memories have never left him. 

He recalled: “I was in Aden when the troubles were out there in the Yemen… in 1964 and 65.

“I was just talking about it this morning with my daughter… You don’t lose the memory of it.

“I was there in the thick of it. I’ve got the medals to show it.”

Instead of splashing out wildly, Ron already knows exactly how he wants to spend his winnings - fulfilling a long-held dream to return to the sea

He said, “I’ve been waiting to go on a cruise. I haven’t been away for years… so I will go on a cruise.”

After serving in the RAF for 22 years all over the world, Ron even joked that he wouldn’t be travelling too far from home.

Ron said: “I won’t be going that far, I’ll stay local… just the Med.”

He added, “I can go with a balcony this time instead of having an inside cabin. If you’re going to a nice, hot country, you want somewhere you can sit, get a nice bit of sun, have a drink, enjoy yourself.”

Ron says he’s delighted to hear others in his tight-knit neighbourhood are also celebrating. He said: “It’s a nice community with lovely people. We’re all very sociable. It’s great that lots of us have got this too.

And one charity, Building Heroes Education Foundation, has received £75,000 thanks to Postcode Lottery players.   

Established in 2014, Building Heroes is dedicated to service leavers, veterans, reservists, military families and bereaved military family members.  

They provide training and employment support into a new career in construction by equipping individuals with a broad range of trade skills and then connecting them with a network of employers. 

Along with Building Heroes, who have a base in Salisbury, other local charities are also benefiting from the Postcode Lottery. 

Rise:61 - £25,000

Based in the residential estate of Bemerton Heath in Salisbury, the organisation is committed to helping young people and their families navigate the highs and lows of life through weekly clubs, mentoring, events and community projects.

The Species Recovery Trust - £15,000

The Salisbury-based charity’s primary aim is to remove 50 species from the edge of extinction in the UK by 2050, both by targeting the species and their habitats.

Silver Salisbury - £5,000

The charity aims to reduce loneliness and isolation by supporting older people to be active in their local community.