Meet the seven Birmingham neighbours sharing a £1m People's Postcode Lottery jackpot

Residents living on a street in Birmingham have been celebrating after wining big thanks to the postcode lottery.

Seven neighbours in Sutton Coldfield shared the £1m jackpot after B74 2EA landed Postcode Lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street prize on Saturday, January 6. Every ticket was worth £142,857.

The People’s Postcode Lottery costs £12 a month to play and there are guaranteed winners every day. People play with their chosen postcode and are automatically entered into all draws. A minimum of 33% from each ticket goes to charity. 

One of the lottery winners is a dad from Birmingham who is spending some of his winnings on a new tooth for his daughter. Kevin McCann, 67, got an SOS call from his daughter after she cracked a back molar the night before he landed a £142,857 windfall with People’s Postcode Lottery. 

Now kind-hearted Kevin has vowed to spend hundreds from his winnings on a tooth crown for Donna Hardwick, 45. The office worker said: “My daughter phoned me on the way home from work to tell me that she had cracked one of her back molars and asked what she could do. She’s going to need a crown – and she’ll get one now.”

Kevin and his partner Rita Brown, 70, each won £142,857 after they both signed up because they wanted to help charities. Dad-of-two Kevin said: “This is ridiculous, this never happens to us. I’m in shock.”  Retired retail worker Rita said: “It’s always us two that never wins anything. But with this I said that no matter how much it was, it would be wonderful and more money than we had yesterday.” 

The couple – who each have two children and two grandchildren - revealed their double win has come as they celebrate 23 years together. Now they’ve vowed to help their families, as well as boosting breaks to Belfast this weekend and Kalamaki on the Greek isle of Zante later in the year. 

Kevin added: “We’ve been together for 23 years this weekend, but this is the icing on the cake. This will be the best year by far.” And Rita hinted at a little treat for herself. She said: “I might have a diamond ring. Diamonds are my favourite.” 

Across the road, Gabrielle Hunt revealed hubby Pete only found out she played Postcode Lottery after she got a call to say she’d won. Gobsmacked Gabrielle, 63, who broke down when her cheque was revealed, said: “Pete didn’t even know I was playing. He only found out when I got the phone call. I said, ‘I’ve just won the People’s Postcode Lottery’ and he said, ‘what is that?’ I feel fantastic. I can’t get over it. Never in a million years did I think it would be this much. This is a day to remember.” 

Retired sheet metal worker Pete, 66, said: “This is phenomenal…like a dream come true. It’s a good job I took my blood pressure tablets this morning! When we woke up this morning I wondered if we had been dreaming. It doesn’t seem real.” 

The couple now plan to upgrade a Barbados cruise they have planned with friends to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary – by swapping their inside cabin for a balcony room. Then they’ll pay to take their two children, their partners and three grandchildren on a family holiday to Salou, on Spain’s Costa Daurada, in July. And they’ll round off 2024 in style by rebooking a New Year break they have just returned from at Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with an 18-strong family group. 

Gabrielle, a financial operations manager with Birmingham City University, said: “Dreams have come true today. We’re going on a cruise to Barbados to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We’ve got an inside cabin. Now we’ll upgrade to a balcony cabin. 

“We’ve got the family going to Salou in July. Nine of us…we’ll pay for that. And we’ll pay for all the family to go away again at the end of the year to Bluestone.” 

A few doors away, retired National Express manager Michael Staley was presented with his cheque and then declared: “What a lovely New Year present this is.”  Now he and wife Julie, 64, are thinking about buying a pedigree Maine Coon cat – after losing their previous pet, Sophie. 

 Michael, 65, said: “Last year we lost our pedigree cat Sophie. We’d hope to replace her with another Maine Coon cat. They’re originally from America, but there are lots of breeders here now. They’re very intelligent, unique cats – and very loving.” 

 But Michael, who likes to support animal charities, is feline like another purchase: a new Alfa Romeo.He said: “I already have an Alfa Romeo and I won’t get rid of it. But I would like to buy another one.” 

Wife Julie, a retired university executive PA, added: “I’d like to go to Italy. We haven’t been there for a few years. I quite like Tuscany.” Across the street, Sue Lamb revealed she and hubby Mark already have FOUR holidays booked so far this year. Now they plan to turbo-charge their travel plans. 

Royal Mail catering assistant Sue, 62, said: “This is so wonderful. I’m overwhelmed. I just want to cry. It’s like having my children all over again. 

“My husband just said last week ‘why don’t they come knocking on our door’ and now you have.”  The couple are already looking forward to Fuerteventura, the Greek isle of Kos, then Cyprus before celebrating Mark’s 65th birthday with a trip to Cape Verde, off the coast of west Africa, to round off the year. 

Royal Mail heavy goods driver Mark said: “We love our holidays. We had five last year. But this will help.” The couple also plan to support their two children and three grandchildren – as well as tart up the house and replace a back garden fence. 

Mark said: “We can help the kids out and the fence is cream crackered.” 

All the neighbours signed up for Postcode Lottery because they wanted to help local, national and international charities.  

And, right on their doorstep, The Streetly Community and Sports Association has been awarded £80,000 by the Postcode Community Trust. Now the charity, which has been going for more than 50 years, will use the cash to upgrade their facilities.