Stunned couple win huge Postcode Lottery payout
Stuart and Sarah Ware-Lane of Down Ampney(Image: Postcode Lottery)
They had no idea they’d both been playing
Thirteen stunned households in a Cotswolds village have won big with the Postcode Lottery – with one couple unknowingly holding three tickets between them.
The gobsmacked couple from Down Ampney landed £214,284 just weeks after discovering they had secretly been playing behind one another’s backs.
Stuart and Sarah Ware-Lane both signed up to the lottery and had no idea that they held three tickets between them.
Sarah, 49, had one winning ticket which raked in £71,428. Her husband Stuart unknowingly tripled the family fortune after revealing he’d quietly signed up with two tickets, banking a staggering £142,856 himself.
They were completely unaware that the other was playing until four weeks ago.
Stuart said: “We literally found out about a month ago. I genuinely thought I was paying for Sarah’s ticket as well. Turns out we both had our own!”
Now the shocked pair are trying to process the surreal moment they became one of Britain’s luckiest married couples overnight.
Sarah added: “It doesn’t seem real. It genuinely hasn’t sunk in. Things like this don’t happen to people like us.”
Stuart, 48, added: “You keep sitting there wondering if this is actually real. We’re going to be having loads of pinch-me moments over the next few days.”
Stuart and Sarah were among 13 neighbours sharing £1 million when GL7 5QW landed the lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street prize on Saturday, May 23.
Each ticket was worth £71,428 and Stuart was the only person in the postcode playing with more than one ticket.
The story behind the Ware-Lanes windfall sounds more like the plot of a sitcom than real life.
Sarah had been playing for years, while Stuart secretly joined around a year ago, believing his payments covered Sarah too.
The truth only came out after Stuart spotted PayPal notifications on Sarah’s phone while they were sitting together on the sofa.
Stuart said: “I saw a payment and said, ‘What have you spent £12.50 on?’”
“And she said, ‘The Postcode Lottery.’
“I said, ‘Well I already pay for that.’
“And she went, ‘No… I’ve got my own.’ That was literally the conversation.”
Then came the moment that changed their lives forever.
Stuart said: “Only a few weeks later, we got a phone call from someone at Postcode Lottery. The timing is just insane.”
And suddenly the couple realised they were taking home £214,284 combined.
Stuart, who works as a manager at Halfords Autocentre in Oxford, said: “It’s just crazy. Absolutely crazy.”
The couple, who dated at school before reconnecting years later on Facebook, made the move from Harrow, London, to the Cotswolds around eight years ago in search of a quieter life for their 14-year-old daughter, Maya.
Stuart said: “If we hadn’t moved here, this wouldn’t have happened.
“We wanted a better life for our daughter. I think it’s been the best decision we’ve ever made.”
Sarah, who works with a charity dance school alongside her job supporting students at Cirencester College, added: “Here, life just feels calmer.”
Sarah joked they still compare their sleepy village to TV hit series ‘Downton Abbey’. She said: “It’s beautiful here. It’s such a tiny little place that nobody’s really heard of.
“And now Millionaire Street has landed here!”
Behind the smiles and giant cheques lies a family that has quietly endured devastating loss. Sarah tearfully admitted that the last year has been one of the toughest of her life after losing her dad. “It’s been really hard. There’s been a lot going on and a lot to deal with.” Stuart added: “We’ve both lost parents over the last few years. So, this genuinely means a lot.”
The couple told how they’ll treat themselves to at least one luxury holiday after years of putting family finances first.
When asked about dream destinations, Stuart said immediately: “The Maldives.”
Sarah replied: “Bora Bora… or a safari.”
Then laughing together, they agreed: “Maybe all of it!”
The couple’s daughter already has a few ideas for how the money could be spent – with her 18-month-old black Labrador, Reggie, at the centre of them. Maya, 14, said: “We could get another puppy – a friend for Reggie – or I could even get a horse.”
For now, the couple are planning simple celebrations, starting with ringing stunned family members who never even knew they played the lottery.
Sarah said: “We haven’t told anyone we even did it or that the Postcode Lottery were coming to our house. We’re excited to hear everyone’s reactions.”
It was not just Sarah and Stuart who were awarded the big prize lately as dad-of-two Nathan Barnett, 40, was also left stunned when the lottery’s ambassador Matt Johnson handed over a cheque for £71,428.
Nathan admitted to being gobsmacked when a full camera crew turned up at his sleepy countryside postcode.
He said: “This is probably the biggest thing that’s ever happened in the village’s history. It’s super exciting.”
Remarkably, Nathan only joined the Postcode Lottery five months ago after being referred by a co-worker through the lottery’s ‘refer a friend’ programme.
He said: “My colleague referred me after he won a few smaller prizes and thought I’d enjoy it.
“He also got £15 worth of gift cards just for referring me. I’m sure he’s pleased… although probably not as pleased as I am!”
He said: “It’s amazing and totally unexpected. I’d have been happy with any amount, but I certainly wasn’t expecting anything this large.”
And this isn’t even his first prize win since Nathan signed up as he’s already won £15 and even scooped a picnic blanket last month.
Nathan said: “We won a picnic blanket just last month and we’ve had it out with us last weekend. But this is definitely the best prize so far.”
Nathan, who works for a digital marketing company, turned detective online trying to work out what the prize might be.
He said: “After I got a phone call telling me the Postcode Lottery were coming, I was just sitting there on tenterhooks for days.
“I was going through ChatGPT trying to narrow it down. I searched things like, ‘How many people live in my postcode? How many people play Postcode Lottery? What could I win?’ “But ChatGPT didn’t come back with anything concrete. Postcode Lottery keep it all a big secret.”
Nathan revealed the windfall will completely transform life for his wife Kelly and their two young children.
He said: “We can visit family in America, book family holidays, get home improvements done. It’s fantastic.”
Former egg wholesaler Clive Maltby, 72, has also bagged a £71,428 prize.
He said: “It really hasn’t sunk in. It’s an awful lot of money.”
Former egg wholesaler Clive Maltby, 72, has also bagged a £71,428 prize.
He said: “It really hasn’t sunk in. It’s an awful lot of money.”
The retired businessman is already dreaming about holidays with his wife Caroline, 73, along with campervans and photography gear.
Clive said: “The first thing that comes to mind is holidays. I’d love to go back to the Far East where I was brought up. I grew up in Hong Kong.”
Another item on the wish list is a top-of-the-range Canon camera for Clive’s long-time photography hobby.
He said: “I’d probably get another Canon – one of the newest models.”
Clive spent decades running a family egg wholesale business, supplying farms, hotels, cafes and distributors across the country.
He said: “For all the years selling eggs, I can’t believe something like this has come right out of the blue.”
Laughing at his former career, he added: “This is egg-cellent!
Sheila Panther, 80, says she’s ‘living in a dream’ after she also scooped £71,428.
The gran, who once worked as an air hostess and lived in the United States, said the suspense of waiting to discover how much she had won had left her ‘too excited to eat.’
Sheila said: “I still can’t quite believe it. It doesn’t feel real. I haven’t even had lunch yet.
“I feel a bit crazy actually. Seeing a camera crew in your driveway – it’s just unbelievable.”
Sheila kept news of the surprise visit largely to herself, only telling daughter Kay Coe, 47, and husband Keith, 82, hours before the lottery arrived outside the family home.
Kay said: “It’s such a surprise. I’m just so happy for mum.
“She’s had some health issues recently, so this money will really help.”
The former American Airlines flight attendant, who travelled the world during her career and once lived in New York, is already dreaming about more luxury holidays.
She said: “I’ve got friends in Florida and New York that I’ve not seen in many years, so I might do just that.
Kay added: “Mum, you could fly first class now.”
The retired gran proudly described her delight that others have also won in their quiet village community.
She said: “There’s such a lovely community spirit here. Everyone knows everyone.
“The village shop brings everybody together. There are social clubs, charities, groups – people really look after each other.”
This content is sourced from www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk and is shared for informational purposes only.
