Neighbours from PLANE Street in Newsome are jetting off on holiday after scooping £25,000 each on the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Rob Jay, 50, and Ken Giles, 67, are walking on air after landing the unexpected windfall in the latest Saturday Street Prize.
And for teacher Rob it’s some compensation for missing out when colleagues at a North Yorkshire school bagged a £1.2 million National Lottery jackpot.
Rob, who says he never wins anything, has bucked the trend of a lifetime and said: “It was a real ‘wow’ moment and it took a couple of days to sink in.
“A few years ago I had to spend all my breaks with colleagues who had won six figures each. I wasn’t in the syndicate because they never asked me.
“I had to spend time listening to them saying how great it was – but this time it’s me!”
Rob, who now works at Wakefield College, is planning on a family holiday to Tenerife with partner Lesley Dunn, daughters Emily, 14, and Isobel, 12, and ex-wife Gillian and her new partner Gary Turley.
He’s also going to pay off some loans and change his car.
Meanwhile, next door neighbour Ken, a fan of Western movies, is also flying off to his dream destination – the USA – where he wants to join a cattle drive.
Ken said: “Growing up I was always a big fan of cowboys. My parents took me to the cinema to see all the Western movies and I just loved them.
“It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to visit the USA and go on a cattle drive. This win means that dream will finally come true.
“I have two daughters and one has just bought a house so I’ll be able to help out with some of the fees which is great too.
“We’re also big on animals in this family and that’s part of the reason we signed up. I saw all the amazing animal charities that the players of People’s Postcode Lottery support.”
The two men saw their postcode drawn on Saturday but, Rob revealed, they are no longer neighbours.
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Rob moved from his rented home in Plane Street to Birkby about a year ago but kept the same postcode.
“When you move you can keep your postcode,” said Rob. “I couldn’t change it anyway because I’ve forgotten my password and never got round to sorting it out.
“Now that Plane Street has won I really should change the postcode as I can’t see it winning twice.”
The Postcode Lottery costs £10 a month and so far £118.8 million has been raised for good causes across the country.
One Huddersfield charity to benefit is Paddock Community Trust which was awarded over £17,000 this year.
Trust managing director Simon Ashbee said they hoped to use the money to invest in its volunteers and raise its profile.
