Me and two neighbours DOUBLED our £66,666 lottery win with ‘three-second big potato’ trick – we feel like millionaires
NEIGHBOURS who live on a lottery winning street doubled their prize money with a "big potato" trick.
Stunned Ken bagged £133,332 - then made a video call to his son Nigel at work to tell him he'd won the same amount.
An ecstatic Ken whooped, "It's real son! Really big potatoes!"
Nigel, of Shoreham-by-Sea, in West Sussex, had been working on elevators in North London before returning to his van for the uplifting call.
After getting the news, he exclaimed: "That's just changed my life - £133,000! I can't believe it."
Uplifting Call
Self-employed Nigel, Ken and another neighbour each doubled their win thanks to playing with two tickets.
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Dad-of-two Nigel said: "The Postcode Lottery phoned me and said they'd be visiting my street with a surprise, but I couldn't miss out on the work.
"But when I saw the amount, I packed up my tools and drove home."
Nigel said news of his win quickly spread around the building site and he now has a new nickname - "Millionaire Man".
He said: "When I walk into a room or across the site, guys have been saying, 'Here he is - the Millionaire Man'.
"It's all been good-natured, and everyone has been congratulating me."
He added: "It might not be a million, but to me, that is like winning a million."
Nigel now plans to put down a deposit on a house and is treating his two children to a long-overdue holiday.
He said: "To be able to buy my own place and treat my kids is just a huge weight off my shoulders.
"I booked a holiday for me and the kids, but it got cancelled due to COVID, so I just had to keep my head down working in the hope that I could re-book it at some point."
Nigel also basked in his parents' jackpot joy with dad Ken and mum Jenny celebrating a mind-blowing win.
He said: "I'm over the moon knowing my parents have won as well. They've done a lot for me and to now know they're set means a lot."
Ken, a retired Brighton taxi driver, revealed that his lad had convinced him to start playing People's Postcode Lottery.
And he won only weeks after signing up.
He said: "Nigel said I should give it a go, so I guess I have him to thank. I even signed up with two tickets because he plays with two."
And Ken may also have his wife Jenny to thank after signing up on the same day she retired as a Housekeeping Assistant at Southlands Hospital on December 1, 2023.
Jenny said: "I might have brought him luck, you never know. We feel incredibly lucky especially with Nigel winning too."
The family moved to Shoreham-by-Sea three years ago to accommodate Ken's elderly father.
It's real son! Really big potatoes!
Ken
Before that, they'd spent over 43 years in the nearby town of Hove.
"When we moved, I felt like Shoreham was going to be a lucky area for us. And it's definitely turned out that way."
Ken recently celebrated his 70th birthday and said his cash windfall was "the icing on the cake".
He said: "It was my birthday on the 25th of January, and I didn't think I'd ever get this big a present."
Grandparents-of-three Ken and Jenny haven't yet decided on a holiday destination but plan on taking a break after a "tough" last six years.
Ken said: "I ended up in intensive care in 2018 after lots of medical problems and ended up having to retire.
"So, we'll definitely go on holiday and give something to our grandkids."
It comes after a pensioner who won £200,000 on the People's Postcode lottery revealed his first buy will be controversial but something he has always wanted.
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Meanwhile, neighbours who won £180,000 on the People's Postcode Lottery were told their wish list was boring.
And a couple who won £60,000 on the People's Postcode Lottery recently revealed how they were able to double their winnings.
How does the People's Postcode Lottery work?
ACCORDING to the official website, players sign up with their postcode and pay £12 per month.
They are automatically entered into every draw and prizes are announced every day of the month.
Tickets play for prizes every day of the week - from Monday to Sunday, a ticket could win £1,000 each day in the Daily Prize.
Tickets could also win a jackpot of £30,000 in Saturday and Sunday's Street Prize draws.
People's Postcode Lottery also offer a £3 Million Postcode Millions draw each month - and your ticket plays for a share of a £3 Million cash prize fund.
Winners are notified by email, SMS message, mail or phonecall depending on the prize they win.
Jackpot winners are visited by the lottery team in person.