A dance teacher has waltzed off with £235,292 - despite missing a string of calls to let her know she had won the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Anita Winter, 60, quickstepped home from her dance school after husband Vince phoned to say representatives from the lottery draw were at their door.
The couple, who have been married for 40 years, had missed messages telling them their postcode – PE7 2AS which covers Eastrea near Whittlesey – had landed the lottery’s £1m Millionaire Street prize.
And after her windfall was revealed, Anita beamed: “When I opened that cheque one of the first thoughts that I had was ‘we might just nip to Melbourne’.”
Vince, 63, a transport manager, added: “It would be nice to turn left on a plane for the first time!”
Each ticket was worth £58,823, but Anita banked £235,292 thanks to playing with four.
Now the professionally trained ballroom and Latin American dancer, who runs the Tu Danse school is dreaming of the first class flight to see son Jason, who is performing in Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Anita said: “We’re at the stage now where we’ve been talking about semi-retiring and looking forward to the next stage of our lives.
“This will be a really big help towards that, to be able to start making plans for the future and to maybe help the kids along the way a little bit as well.
“Both our sons, James and Jason, are in the performing arts. James has done lots of musicals too, like Les Miserables and Jersey Boys, but he is retraining as an accountant at the moment.
“James has two sons so it will be lovely to treat them to something - they’ll have a lovely Christmas thanks to Postcode Lottery!”
Now grandmother Caroline, 65, is planning to help her family – in tribute to hubby Paul.
She said: “It was him who started the lottery. I think he’s looking down on us today.
“I’m 66 at the end of the year and I’ll be retiring.
“This will mean I can do a lot of the things that me and my husband said we would always do if we won the lottery.”
Nearby neighbour Melissa Setchfield told how it’s not the first time her house has bagged her a big win – because it’s also how she met hubby John.
Former estate agent Melissa, 50, met John, 54, when she sold him the house in the winning postcode 27 years ago.
The pair now plan to use their £58,823 winnings to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary.
“I’d like to do New York and we’ll be married 25 years next year, so it’ll be nice to say to our travel agent ‘don’t worry about budget.’
“Our son Nathan, who is 22, will get a helping hand too. It’s going to help a lot of people.”
John has a simpler dream – a slap-up feast from the local takeaway.
He joked: “We might even get a Chinese – I’ll be having my usual chicken omelette, chips, sweet and sour chicken balls and spareribs.”
Royal Air Force veteran David Brightley, 58, said the win had left him feeling ‘humbled and grateful’.
David, who celebrated with wife Beverley, 54, said: “Bev is an accountant so every penny of this is already accounted for. I’m sure I’ll be told what I’m doing with it very soon.
“Family holidays are most definitely on the cards. We have a favourite resort in Madeira and I think a couple of weeks of all expenses luxury is definitely in order.”
The pair, who were childhood sweethearts but split up when they were 16, reconnected on Facebook after nearly three decades apart.
David said: “We got back in contact through social media and then met up. I married her 11 years ago and we’ve been lucky enough to be blessed with a 10-year-old daughter.
“I’ve got two grown up children who live in Scotland too.
“This is something you never envisage happening to you. I’m delighted for everyone.”
He said: “I actually ignored the phone call. And then when I got a voicemail I just couldn’t believe it.”
The win was described as ‘life-changing’ by Tony and wife Karen, 62, who has been on the waiting list for a hip operation for two years.
Local government worker Karen said: “It’s life changing, especially for me.”
Other winners included Sarah Newsome, 54 – who is unable to work following a stroke - who says ‘Christmas will be really good this year’ for her three children and one granddaughter thanks to the windfall.
While retied sales manager Robin Wade, 69, is planning a Greek cruise with his winnings.
The neighbours’ wins have also boosted charities in the Peterborough area.
A combined total of £1m is being shared between local charities in the winning Millionaire Street areas as part of November’s Postcode Lottery draws.
SERV Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, also known as the “Blood runners”, provides a free local medical transport service was awarded £30,000 by the Postcode Places Trust.
“It means a lot for our volunteers’ efforts to be recognised, and it will also help us with essential training, equipment and running costs which are around £40,000 annually.
Other local charities being funded thanks to Saturday's Millionaire Street prize win include the RSPCA Leicestershire, Peterborough & Rutland Branch and No Gain, No Pain UK which fundraise for medical equipment used in palliative care.
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