"This is life-changing!" Lucky Havant woman wins postcode lottery after forgetting to cancel direct debit
A Havant woman is in “disbelief” after winning the postcode lottery having intended to cancel her direct debit before it slipped her mind.
Juliette Spencer-Besant, 47, won £250,000 after her Lockerley Road postcode was drawn as the weekly Millionaire Street prize by the People’s Postcode Lottery.
The PO9 2LD postcode covers a nine-storey block of flats in Leigh Park, meaning three ticket holders received a quarter of a million pounds each with Juliette calling it the “luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me”.
She was taken aback when the Postcode Lottery ambassador Judie McCourt knocked her door with the surprise cheque. Juliette said: “There was disbelief when I saw the cheque and then a wave of emotion came over me. But I managed to pull it together.
“I was going to cancel a couple of months back, but I’m really bad at personal stuff. I was going through direct debits and bits and pieces. Promotion came up at work and I’ve been working for that for the last two months and never got round to it.
She added: “I did get round to cancelling some subscriptions, but with life and everything else taking over I didn’t get round to cancelling the Postcode Lottery. It’s probably the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ll keep playing now.”
Juliette is planning to invest her money wisely but not before treating herself. An Audi R8, Playstation 5, Tissot watch and a trip to the Maldives tops her wish list as she described the win as “unbelievable” and “life-changing”.
Alongside the three winners, local charities have also received a funding boost from the Postcode Lottery as they received a share of the £1million prize pot.
Off The Record, a charity which supports the emotional wellbeing and mental health of young people and families across Havant and South East Hampshire, received £40,000. With a base in Leigh Park, the charity offers free counselling, group work and specialist support for young carers.
Head of fundraising, Katharine Gregory, said: “We’re delighted with the news! Funding like this provides vital support, and we’re deeply grateful to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for helping make our work possible.”
Further information on the Postcode Lottery can be found at https://www.postcodelottery.co.uk/.