I almost missed out on £166k Postcode Lottery win – I scooped jackpot just hours before moving house

A FORMER Coldstream Guard won the Postcode Lottery only 12 hours before he was set to move out.

Alan Jones, 56, had almost cancelled his ticket for his sold Tyne and Wear house.

Instead, on the last day in his home, Jones' Westerhope postcode struck gold with him and five other neighbours winning £166,666 each.

Jones said: "I was going to cancel my ticket and renew it wherever I end up. Thank goodness I didn’t.

"I’ve got to be out by 2pm tomorrow and I’m basically packing up the house now because I need a new start. This has helped give me that."

Jones, a dad-of-one, had just finished a nightshift for Newcastle College as a security guard.

He had planned to move into his nephew's place while he house-hunted, but he could be more flexible now.

Jones said: "I’ve always wanted to go out and get a log cabin in Northumberland. Who knows! I also told my son I’ll sort him out.

"A holiday in Turkey or the Greek island of Skiathos would be good, too.

"I can’t take this in. I thought after getting the phone call that it might be £2,000 or £10,000 at the most."

He had planned to sign up again once he found his new home.

Jones said he would celebrate by going out for a meal and a drink.

Jones' next-door neighbour Claire Turnbull said it was her mum who persuaded her to sign up.

Now she was holding a cheque on her mother's 57th birthday.

Claire wants to buy a new car with her winnings, and also splurge on a family break to Disney World in Florida.

She said: "I got rid of my car during Covid and never got another one. This means I’ll be able to get the kids out and about a bit more. I love Turkey, I could take the kids there or Disney in America.

"I’ll definitely treat my mum and dad, and my sister and her family as well. They all deserve a treat. I’ve got an amazing family, they’re always there for me."

The Postcode Community Trust has also donated £70,000 to the Liberdade community development trust - an arts organisation for people with learning disabilities.

“Today’s funding has been much needed. Thanks to the players of People’s Postcode Lottery, we could cover all our overhead costs for our community activities for the rest of the year, which is incredible."