VIDEO: Lottery winner relives £450,000 magical moment

A DAD of two who asked his bank for a break from paying his mortgage as he struggled to make ends meet was celebrating the end of his money worries after scooping £450,000.
Lottery winners Diane and Peter Clegg celebrating at home in Bolton-on-Dearne.Lottery winners Diane and Peter Clegg celebrating at home in Bolton-on-Dearne.
Lottery winners Diane and Peter Clegg celebrating at home in Bolton-on-Dearne.

Peter Clegg (59) said he had to fight back the tears and face the camera after being completely overwhelmed by his amazing win.

“I just couldn’t stop crying, I couldn’t believe it,” the former hospital worker said of the moment when People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Judie McCourt handed him three tickets for £150,000 — one for each of his tickets in the competition.

A total of 308 residents sharing the same partial postcode — S63 8 — were invited to Wentworth Woodhouse on Saturday and presented with cheques for between £4,451 and £450,000, with a handful of winners with the same postcode revealed last.

An engaged couple who both won big and a soon-to-be divorced husband and wife were also stunned to pick up six-figure sums.

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“I asked the bank for a payment holiday because I couldn’t pay both the mortgage and my credit card bill,” Peter said.

“Thankfully I don’t have to worry about that now. Winning this money is life-changing for us.”

Peter admitted he was “shaking like a leaf” when he was handed the three big cheques.

“It just hit me that our money worries were over,” he said.

“They brought us home on this big bus afterwards and as we drove through the village loads of other people who had been at Wentworth were outside the pub and they all cheered. It was wonderful that there were so many other winners.”

Peter revealed he could have lost out on £300,000 as he rang up just weeks earlier to cancel two of his three tickets.

Thankfully, the cancellation had not come into effect when the Postcode Millions draw was made.

Peter, who publishes a daily video diary on YouTube, said he and wife Diane — who met in an internet chatroom 18 years ago, would take their daughter Katie (12) and Daisy (6) on holiday and he planned to buy a new car.

But the lucky couple — who struggled for cash after Diane had to give up work due to serious heart problems — said their winnings would not change their day to day lives.

“Pete said we could shopping at Marks and Spencer now but I told him there’s nothing wrong with Aldi,” laughed Diane.

Simon Link’s two tickets landed him £300,000.

The 47-year-old was joined at the event by his estranged wife Tanya who was also a winner, scooping £8,902.

They plan to split the money, “each buy our own place, spoil our two sons and finally get a divorce”, Simon said.

He added: “I’d love to spend more time fishing and Tanya wants a boob job,” he added.

Engaged couple Iain Duthie (56) and Jane Steel (46) won £150,000 each.

Jane said: “We got engaged in February but didn't have any money together for the wedding so this is going to more than cover it.

“We’re already excited about going to Barbados for our honeymoon.”

Hilary Ross (52) was joined by her husband Peter at the event.

She said: “It's been an absolutely amazing day — I can’t believe we've won this much.

“Our son is starting university in September so this will help us to pay for that, and we're going to do a Europe trip this summer after his exams."

Mum of two Keely Goddard (21) was extremely excited to win £150,000.

“I’m having a baby in November,” she said.

“This means my partner and I can buy a family home.

“We’ll try and stay in the lucky postcode!”