Epic Win In Thurso Postcode Lottery - £2.1 Million

18th April 2010

Spring Postcode Rollover - KW14 7JW Thurso - 18 April 2010

April showers failed to dampen residents' spirits as the Highlands town of Thurso celebrated winning People's Postcode Lottery's £2.1 million Spring Postcode Rollover. Hundreds of euphoric winners joined spectators, neighbours and friends to discover just how much they'd won- with the full winning postcode of KW 14 7JR, Holborn Avenue sharing a total of over £1 million.

Retired 64 year old Paul Connelly was one of three main winners, pocketing a cool £208,706, which he described as "a nice wee lift- we'll be going on an exotic family holiday now!"

But it was husband and wife duo Mark and Maureen Jamieson who really stole the show, walking away from the event with their combined winnings making them a massive £834,824 the richer.

A party to remember for Thurso!
The event took place in local park 'The Dammies' and saw the community of Thurso rocked by the windfall. Emotions ran high and the excitement was tangible as revellers enjoyed entertainment from TV and pop star Darius, complimentary food and drink and a traditional Highlands send-off from Thurso's very own pipe band.

Darius, who drove through the night to make the show after his London flight was cancelled and had to borrow a guitar from a local hotelier's brother. He told the excited audience: "I'm so excited to have been part of such a landmark event. Congratulations to all the winners - don't spend it all at once!"

A crowd full of winners

After the entertainment it was time to get down to the serious business of making some Thurso residents a bit more wealthy!

Over 200 locals took home Postcode Sector prizes, ranging from just over £1,000 to £18,000 and soon the crowd was full of happy winners waving their cheques in the air.

But the Sector Prizes were eclipsed by the main Street Prize in which three residents of the postcode KW14 7JR shared a massive £1,043,530 - instantly turning the street, Holborn Avenue, into a veritable Millionaire's Row!

An 'unreal' win

The largest prizes were won by husband and wife Mark and Maureen Jamieson, who pocketed a total of £834,824 by playing with two tickets each.

The delighted pair - both 47 - couldn't hide their shock as presenters Angus Purden and Judie McCourt announced their life changing win.

"I'm not sure it's quite sunk in," Judie explained. "Just an hour ago Mark and Maureen had no clue how much they'd won… now they're near-millionaires!"

Mark and Maureen moved to the area 5 years ago, and have been playing People's Postcode Lottery "since the beginning". Maureen described the win as "unreal", while husband Mark, a joiner, could only stutter: "I'm completely overwhelmed!"

It's more than welcome news to the Jamiesons, who have two sons, Gary, 25 and Ryan, 19. Ryan was part of the celebrations already, playing in the Thurso Pipe Band who piped the winners off the stage, and couldn't have been more thrilled at his parents luck.

The events co-host Angus Purden expressed his thanks to locals, saying: "A huge thank you to everyone who has helped us make today special- and congratulations to all our winners! Remember, playing People's Postcode Lottery costs just £2 a week and 40p from every ticket goes directly to fantastic charities in Scotland. With over 500 postcodes winning every week, it's not uncommon for the same postcode to win several times!

"I hope we'll be back in Thurso with our weekly £30,000 Street Prize very soon and we can see you again then!"