Three lottery winners talk about what it feels like – and three charities reveal how they benefited, too

Part-time medium Mark Brookes, 55, says he felt sure his postcode was going to be a winner – before he scooped a spectacular £359,514 in the £3 million draw for June.

The father-of-four, from Huntington in York, played with two tickets and so received two cheques, each worth £179,757.

Mark, a self-employed builder, even came close to predicting the exact amount he would get for each prize.

‘I actually wrote down three amounts on a piece of paper that I thought I’d win,’ he said. ‘Two were low but then I wrote down £178,201 and I just thought that figure was the one.’

Now the lucky dad’s looking to the future again – with plans to use some of the winnings to allow his wife to retire and the rest to cover deposits for his children’s homes.

Golden gran! Delight for pensioner, 87, as she bags £30,000 after years of ill health

Jean Balchin, 87, had been in and out of hospital for three years when she scooped £30,000 on People’s Postcode Lottery.

The grandmother, from Amersham, Buckinghamshire, was ‘ecstatic’ about the win, which she called a ‘fantastic morale boost’.

Jean said she had begun to believe that ‘nothing could go right’ until her July jackpot, which she plans to use to treat her loyal daughter to a holiday.

‘My daughter Sarah has been incredible at taking care of me after I had my two big operations, so it would be nice to treat her for a change and pay for her, her husband and my granddaughter to go on holiday,’ she said.

‘Early next year, once I’m a bit better, I’d also love to go on a cruise, so that’s something to look forward to. I feel like I’m on the road up now, rather than the road down.’

‘We’re on top of the world!’ Husband and wife can’t wait to help their daughter buy a house as they bag £30,000

John and Karen Liever announced their plans to help their daughter onto the housing ladder within seconds of hearing they’d won £30,000.

The couple, from Worsley near Manchester, opened their door to find lottery ambassador Danyl Johnson with the giant cheque on August 1.

John said: ‘I’m on top of the world! It’s fantastic to win for both us and the family. ‘My daughter and her husband have been looking to buy a house for a long time, and I can help them out which means everything to me.’

The 65-year-old, who was one of four local winners, spoke of his satisfaction that charities would benefit as well, saying: ‘I’d pay for that alone’.

They aren’t the only winners! Three of the good causes helped by lottery players this year

Every subscription to People’s Postcode Lottery helps raise money for charities both in the UK and across the world.

Here are three of the good causes that have benefited from lottery funds in 2019.

Fulfilling Jak’s dream: £17,500 for cancer charity founded in courageous teenager’s memory

Jak Trueman always thought of others, even arranging for flowers to be sent to his mother, grandmother and girlfriend a day after he died from a rare form of blood cancer in 2015.

So the teenager would no doubt be delighted at the £17,500 grant raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery for the charity created in his memory.

The money, which came from the Postcode Community Trust, helped the Team Jak Foundation open a new and improved centre for families affected by cancer in Livingston, West Lothian.

Overseen by Jak’s mother, Alison Barr, it supports 160 local families, fulfilling his dream of creating a place where children could relax away from the trauma of treatment.

Lottery Ambassador Fiona Phillips said after a visit to Jak’s Den: ‘I came away feeling inspired by Allison and her drive to help people, and am so glad that the funding raised by Postcode Lottery players is helping them to support even more families.’

That was worth shelling out on! Two player-supported wildlife charities welcome osprey chicks

Two charities supported by the lottery welcomed osprey chicks in July this year, giving a huge boost to efforts to conserve the protected species.

The Woodland Trust, which has received more than £10 million thanks to support from players, watched as a female named Aila produced three eggs, of which two hatched.

Her daily life with mate Louis in their nest high above the 2,538-acre Arkaig Community Forest is being broadcast to the public via a webcam.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust has also seen two ospreys born at Loch of the Lowes near Perth. Ranger Sara Rasmussen said: ‘Support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery is vital to helping our team keep a close eye on these birds, and share their inspiring story with the public.’

Helping the blind to see again: Nearly 500 people receive cataract surgery from African charity supported by players

A player-supported charity that tackles blindness in Africa has helped hundreds of people regain the gift of sight.

Sightsavers carried out nearly 500 cataract operations and screened 30,000 people for eye conditions between January and March 2019 in Mozambique alone.

Its sight-saving treatments can lift whole families out of poverty by allowing breadwinners to earn a living and send their children to school. 

The charity, which operates in Mali and Nigeria, trains up community eye health workers like Mai Mai who carry out the initial screenings and then refer people for treatment. 

He said: ‘To see people seeing their family again… The smile that they bring to me is an enormous joy.’