Charlotte and Ian Hall who now live in Scotland won a ‘for-toon’ and plan to spend the winnings on their dream retirement
Ian and Charlie celebrated the win in their Toon tops.(Image: People’s Postcode Lottery)
Two diehard Newcastle United fans are now the talk of the toon after winning a huge £166k on People’s Postcode Lottery. Couple Charlotte and husband Ian Hall, formerly of Shiney Row in County Durham, say the ‘life changing’ amount of money marks the end of a decade of heartache for them.
Charlotte, known as Charlie, 54, won the cash at the family’s new home in picturesque Dunbeg, near Oban, in Scotland. They moved north 17 years ago after Autoglass technician Ian was asked to do a three month secondment in the area and never left. Charlie shared £1 million with five other neighbours in the village street, just yards away from the 13th century Dunstaffnage Castle, after PA37 1AU landed the weekly Millionaire Street prize. Every ticket was worth £166,666.
But in 2013, the couple lost everything after flames engulfed their former rented home 10 miles away in Taynuilt. Charlie and son Matthew, now 28, were home at the time and managed to escape the blaze. Then six years ago, Charlie suffered a stroke, followed by a second one just weeks ago in September.
When Dad-of-two Ian, 55, saw their prize, he yelled: “Woohoo, get in! That’s set us and the kids for life. We can reshape everything now. Before, if we didn’t have bad luck, we’d have no luck. But this is amazing. I’m flabbergasted. We lost everything in a fire a few years ago. I followed the fire engine up the road to the house. But the community came together to help us. We can’t thank the people of Taynuilt enough.
Lottery’s Judie McCourt hands £166,666 cheque to Charlie and Ian. (Image: People’s Postcode Lottery)
“When we left to come here it was a case of dreading telling people, like the local shopkeeper. We felt as if we were betraying them. I was in the shop recently and he asked, ‘when are you coming home?’ This is life changing. It’s a massive amount of money. Charlie will be able to reduce her hours, and we’ll give some to the kids to help them.”
Charlie said: “A few years ago, I had a stroke out of the blue when I was 48. I had another one in September when I was driving home. I knew something was wrong and just pulled over. The health care assistant said ‘You never think something like this will ever happen to you,’ I was keeping a bottle of champagne for Christmas, but I’m going to use it now. New house, new life.”
The couple now plan to spend their winnings on Charlies dream of retiring to the two-bedroom caravan bolthole near Seville, Spain, that she and husband Ian ploughed their savings into. Now she says living in the quirky town of El Rocio, in Andalusia, known for its sandy streets and ‘Wild West’ atmosphere could be a step closer.
Charlie said: “We’ve got a caravan in Spain, and we’ve sunk every penny into it. I’d love to get a visa and retire out there. I just want to be there.” Ian added: “If you watch a spaghetti western, that’s exactly what this place is like. It’s the most unique town in Spain. Everyone goes on horses and there’s no main road. You’ve got to see it to believe it.”
Charlie and Ian with the winning cheque in picturesque Scotland, where they now live(Image: People’s Postcode Lottery)
Ian added: “We’re Newcastle mad and it goes back generations in our family. The strips aren’t tops; they’re second skins.” When asked if they’d rather win the lottery over Newcastle getting a trophy, Ian jokes: “That’s a hard one. I go to one game a year with my daughter at the moment. We’ll probably do something corporate now, because season tickets are like hen’s teeth.” And despite Ian saying the pair are ‘not massive spenders’ Charlie added: “I will be now! I might be at The Metrocentre spending.”
People’s Postcode Lottery costs £12.25 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 £38.2 million prize pot will be won in December’s draws. Sign up closes at midnight on Sunday (30 November) to play for a share. Details of all the prizes players have the chance to win with a monthly subscription can be found here.
Players can check if their postcode is a winner on People’s Postcode Lottery’s Lottery Results page. This prize was promoted on behalf of Postcode International Trust, which supports charities including ActionAid, British Red Cross and Mary’s Meals.
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