A West Cumbrian maths teacher got a new job offer – then won the lottery 30 minutes later.
Helen McCreadie, 50, had been looking for another role away from her secondary school teaching post. But minutes after taking the call from a potential employer she banked £125,000 on People’s Postcode Lottery.
Helen, of Dearham, near Maryport, said: “I have been looking for jobs. A company phoned me half an hour ago and offered me a job.”
After being presented with her golden envelope, she added: “Oh wow! That’s brilliant. This feels really, really good.”
Helen shared the £1m jackpot with seven neighbours in Dearham after CA15 7EZ was revealed as the winner of Postcode Lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street prize on Saturday, October 14.
Helen, a Rainbow and Girlguiding leader, started playing Postcode Lottery because it supports the movement. But she was stunned when she got a call to say she’d won.
She said: “I have been stress eating the whole of the last week. I thought it would be £1,000 or a bit more. I’ve just been in a state of limbo.”
Now she’s planning to spend her winnings on a luxury holiday to the States with husband Mike.
She said: “I’d love to fly first class to New York. I’ve already found a hotel in Times Square that looks good.
“I’m very, very excited. We’ll just need to think how we can spend it.”
Just up the road, golf course manager Graham Forbes bagged £125,000 on the eve of his 50th birthday – then broke down as he talked about treating wife Nicola, 47, and son Rhys, 15.
Graham said: “All week since I got the call to say that I’d won I just thought ‘what could I buy my wife and son’. I wasn’t bothered about myself. I’m quite content.
“My wife is a nurse and works really hard. She likes handbags and my son is just getting into golf.”
The Leeds and Carlisle United fan and the family are jetting off to Tenerife later this month to celebrate his milestone birthday.
He added: “This is surreal. It hasn’t sunk in yet. I’ll remember this birthday for the rest of my life.”
A few doors down, Joanne Fidler, 37, revealed she will split the cash with hubby John – because they want to spend it on different things.
The mum-of-three – who is just back from a family holiday to Disney in Florida – wants to trade in her 17-plate Nissan Qashqai for a seven-seater Peugeot.
And radiographer John, 38, wants to add an extension onto the back of the family’s detached home.
Joanne said: “I’ll half the cheque with my husband because he wants an extension.
“I want to change my car and get a seven-seater Peugeot. I’d also like a shopping spree with my mum and daughter.”
The paediatric nurse broke the good news to John on FaceTime while he was studying for a master’s degree at Lancaster University.
He gasped: “Get in! I’m absolutely speechless.”
Joanne added: “My head has been scrambled since I got the call. This is absolutely massive.”
Following Joanne and her neighbours’ Millionaire Street prize wins, nearby charities will also benefit.
A combined total of £1 million will be shared between local charities in the winning Millionaire Street areas as part of October’s Postcode Lottery draws.
Maryport Rescue, an independent lifeboat, flood, swift water and search and rescue service located in Cumbria, is one such charity which has been awarded £30,000 from Postcode Neighbourhood Trust.
The charity, which is made up of more than 30 volunteers and has been in operation for over 150 years, provides the area with vital 24/7 land and sea rescue services.
George Farish, chairman of Maryport Rescue, said the money will help kickstart building expansion plans for the base, which has already received 28 emergency callouts this year.
Other local charities receiving funding thanks to Saturday’s Millionaire Street prize win include:
- Cumbria Youth Alliance – £50,000
- North Lakes Foodbank – £15,000
