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Mother-of four's £80,000 lottery win
FRIENDS and neighbours gathered in a pub car park in Barnsley yesterday to see a mother-of-four become one of the biggest-ever winners of a lottery based on postcodes.
Polly Johnson, 39, broke down in tears when she was called on to a makeshift stage outside the Millers Inn in Low Barugh to be presented with a cheque for a massive 80,434.
What made the win even more surprising for the Barnsley Council human resources advisor was that she had only been playing the People's Postcode Lottery for a month.
Mrs Johnson, who attended the giveaway party with her husband Steve, 38, and children Ben and Elizabeth, both 12, Heather, 11, and 10-year-old Emily, said she was "gobsmacked".
She added: "This is the biggest win I have ever had – the last time I won big was 1,000 on the bingo. Another 1,000 prize would have been enough for me so to win 80,000 is amazing."
The family, who live in the S75 1 postcode sector, were not the only people from the area who won prizes, and 10 other cheques were given out with values ranging from 14,745 to 29,490.
Among the other winners were former coal board worker Ken Butcher, 76, and his wife Barbara, 67, who said they planned to spend part of their 14,745 on a holiday to Italy and the south of France.
Mr Butcher said: "It is the first time I have ever won anything. At least now I will be able to afford a couple of cups of coffee when we get to Nice."
The money was presented by the People's Postcode Lottery, which describes itself as a "society lottery" which raises money for charities in the north of England.
It is run by Novamedia BV, an international lottery operator, which charges players 2 a week by direct debit, with 40p from each ticket going to local charities.
Yesterday, one of the charities to pick up a cheque was Missing People, which helps families in Yorkshire search for lost loved ones.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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