£5k's got a nice ring to it!
A love-struck winner popped the question live on stage on Saturday 31 October to his girlfriend of two years after scooping a cheque for £5,991 at People’s Postcode Lottery’s Postcode Millions in Crediton.
Paul Riley, 54, was so overcome with emotion when his cheque was revealed that he got down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend Karen, 45.
When asked by People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador, Judie McCourt, what he was going to do with his money he declared “I need to buy a ring for my girlfriend now,” and asked the very important question in front of the packed crowd.
Paul was one of 94 winners who shared the £2million prize pot, with prizes ranging from £2,995 - £400,000. Two winners who both played with the full winning postcode, EX17 6AA, won £400,000 each but were unable to attend the cheque presentation.
Paul, a Comedy Magician, described the moment he won and proposed to Karen as “absolutely magical.” Paul continued, “I’ve been wanting to propose to Karen for a while but didn’t have the money, as soon as I saw how much I’d won I knew exactly what I had to.”
Paul and Karen attended the cheque presentation with best friends and neighbours Donna Moors, 51, and her partner Shaun, 44. Donna was delighted when she saw her two friends get engaged but was even more excited when she was presented with her very own cheque for £14,980.
As a Pagan White Witch, Donna had a good feeling about the event as Halloween is always a special date in the Pagan calendar. “I’m a practising White Witch and have been sending positive messages to all the players in advance of the event,” said Donna.
Donna knows exactly what she plans to spend her money on and that is her three children Harry-John, Katie and Jessica. “My daughter Jessica lives in Northamptonshire and I would really love for her to move down to live with us here, hopefully now with the money I’ve won today she’ll be able to do that.”
Love was also in the air for engaged couple Shane Leach, 26, and Sadie Gelsthorpe, 28, who are getting married in August next year. Shane picked up a cheque for a whopping £13,482. The local builder said the money would help them get married life off to a great start: “I can’t believe how much I’ve won. This will help us to put down a deposit for a new home.”
Shane’s future father in law Ian Gelsthorpe was also a lucky winner scooping £8,988. Ian gave his future son in the law the seal of approval and promised to spend the money on his daughter’s big day. He said: “It will be such an honour to give Sadie away on her wedding day and this money will make a real difference to them.”
Sector winner Patrick Rice, 67, had already scooped £8,985 when he discovered he had also won a brand new BMW 1 Series.
People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador, Judie McCourt, who was delighted to hand out cheques to the lucky winners from Crediton, said: “This has got to be one of the most amazing treats to receive on Halloween and we had our first ever Postcode Millions proposal. It’s been a fantastic day in the beautiful Devonshire countryside and it’s been a real pleasure to give away £2 million to all the lovely winners from Crediton!”
Hosted by the Highbullen Hotel, Golf and Country Club in North Devon, the cheque presentation took place in The Palazzo, the hotel’s popular meeting and events venue, which features a choice of five rooms with a maximum capacity of 400 guests. Resort Director, Ronnie Orr said, “We were thrilled to host the event; it was so nice to see so many happy people from the local community enjoying their good fortune and the wedding proposal was just the icing on the cake. We would like to wish all of the winners our huge congratulations.”
After photographs and press interviews, many of the lucky winners and their families stayed on to enjoy a live jazz band, barbecue and champagne cream teas at the resort.
It’s not just players who win by playing People’s Postcode Lottery - over £86.8 Million has been awarded to charities and good causes. The winners’ celebration saw a number of supported charities in attendance including Marine Conservation Society, Dementia Adventure, Royal Voluntary Service, Girlguiding, Missing People and Riding for the Disabled Association.
