A WOMAN who won £30,000 on the lottery says she only signed up out of jealousy.
Helen Bright, 49, was one of the eight lucky neighbours who scooped their share of a £240,000 People’s Postcode jackpot.
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And it was one of those who live nearby in Grimsby, Lincolnshire who inspired her to start buying tickets – after she feared she could miss out on a win.
When Helen was told she’d landed the five-figure sum, she recalled how she once told the man next door that she’d be “gutted” if he had a lucky ticket, and she didn’t.
The 49-year-old said: “I was talking about it with my neighbour a few years ago, and he said ‘oh, we do the Postcode Lottery’.
“He was saying how good it is and I said ‘right, I’m going to start doing that.'”
And the spell of jealousy paid off – with the eight neighbours on St Nicholas Drive each being handed a £30,000 cheque.
When the prize was drawn last week, Helen was yet to tell her husband Rob and jokingly told him she’d won a casserole dish.
But, she’s already made plans for the cash.
The 49-year-old said she wanted to first buy “expensive hair straighteners” – before planning a much-needed holiday.
Other winners on the street were also planning holidays – including Stephen Moody, Ian Clark, David Shepherd, and Lisa Jones.
The lucky players were told the next just days after a mum revealed how she’d snatched the prize money away from her neighbours.
Rachel Lee landed the six-figure sum for her and husband John, 37, when their Dukinfield, Manchester postcode was named a winner on Saturday.
She also opened up about how much the win meant to ber – after tragically losing her twin baby boys and being left fighting for her life.
The news came six years after the death of Rachel’s babies, and she revealed she wanted to give back in their memory.
She said: “I worked in a nursery for 13 years as an assistant manager and I’d had enough.
“I wanted to give back and do something with my career after everything I’ve been through.
“When I got the job with the NHS, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I want to be a paediatric nurse and I want to look after poorly children.
“I can now do a Master’s nursing degree and make it happen.”
Rachel also plans to buy a Life for a Life tree for her beloved twins.
She added: “We want to get a tree for life planted at Dove Stone Reservoir (a memorial forest near Oldham).
“We’ve always wanted to do it but they’re expensive.”
How does the People’s Postcode Lottery work?
ACCORDING to the official website, players sign up with their postcode and pay £12 per month.
They are automatically entered into every draw and prizes are announced every day of the month.
Tickets play for prizes every day of the week – from Monday to Sunday, a ticket could win £1,000 each day in the Daily Prize.
Tickets could also win a jackpot of £30,000 in Saturday and Sunday’s Street Prize draws.
People’s Postcode Lottery also offer a £3 Million Postcode Millions draw each month – and your ticket plays for a share of a £3 Million cash prize fund.
Winners are notified by email, SMS message, mail or phonecall depending on the prize they win.
Jackpot winners are visited by the lottery team in person.
