SEVEN neighbours on a Wirral street are celebrating Postcode Lottery wins today (Sunday, September 29).
Jonas Haynes, Steven Colby, dad Ray and mum Jan Colby, Shaun and Aimee Brennan, and Suzanne Devine live in Moreton and learned they had landed the windfall on Saturday (Sepember 28).
Every ticket was worth £160,000, but Jonas and another neighbour doubled their winnings with two tickets.
Here are their stories:
Nurse Jonas Hayes, says he has been left buzzing after winning £320,000 on People’s Postcode Lottery – and now he wants to keep bees.
The 52-year-old has longed to make his own honey after quitting his London hospital job to return home after 30 years.
He plans to invest in a hive after landing the ‘life-changing’ win just three months after signing up for Postcode Lottery – and doubling his prize with two tickets.
He added: “I know that sounds really old and sad, but I always just wanted to keep bees. I will now."
Jonas told of his shock after the lottery crew turned up at his door – after failing to read emails that he’d won.
He said: "My heart is about to come out of my chest. It’s a bit surreal. I didn’t know you were coming! I’m actually speechless. Thank you so much.
“I joined up after getting a letter through the door. They normally go straight in the bin, but it just shows that they do work."
And he laughed: "I got two tickets because I thought that if next door was going to win I might as well have more than them.
“I can’t even say it was one for me and one for the other half. It just didn’t seem that expensive to have two, to be fair. I just thought that if I was going to win I might as well double up.”
Jonas told how he is already in the process of buying a new semi-detached home after moving back home to The Wirral to start work at a local hospital – while husband AJ, 38, continues to commute to the capital.
He said: "I was working in London and moved back up here. I’ve just found a house to move into, so everything is heading in the right direction. This is an added bonus.
"The first thing I’m going to do when we move is decorate. This will help a lot. I can decorate the house in the way I’d like to rather than decoration I’m compromising on.
"This is going to change quite a lot of things. It will change our lives."
He added: “It’s really nice to win with neighbours. Everyone knows everybody else here and it’s nice to share it."
Now he dreams of returning to South Africa where he spent a month in his youth and travelling round Europe with his hubby of two years.
A few doors along, Steven Colby, 35, turned to his father Ray and thanked him for persuading him to join People’s Postcode Lottery – after they each scooped a cheque for £160,000.
The Sainsbury’s night shift shelf-stacker said: “My dad convinced me to join and now I’ve won quite a lot of money. Thanks Dad, I’ll treat you to a pint.”
Ray, 74, said: “It’s nice because he now has money for his future. He can plan for that."
The Ford car enthusiasts are now planning to buy motors – but not brand new ones. Ray wants a Galaxy so he has more room on car journeys with Greyhound Lady and Millie, a Saluki breed. Son Steven wants a newer version of his current Mondeo.
Steven said: “Winning with family is amazing. Winning with neighbours feels great, too.
“This is money for the future. I’ll treat my girlfriend and go on holidays. Maybe Spain, some nice sunshine. We can go on a family holiday and treat the rest of the family as well. I’d like to go to New York and visit there, too.
“I’d like a new version of my Ford Mondeo. I like them, I’ve never really had any problems with them.”
Ray, 74 – who travelled all over the world as a Royal Navy seaman and radar operator - said he started playing to help charities.
He said: “We played the Postcode Lottery almost since it started. So much of the money goes to charity and that’s the best thing in the world. If you win something, you win.
“I’ll get a new car. We’ve got two dogs that we like to take out and the greyhound is a big girl.
“I’ve also got two daughters and an older lad. I’ll give them a bit of money.
“Since we got the phone call to say we’d won there has just been a bit of anticipation and sleepless nights.”
Ray still works in the fruit and veg department of his local Asda store and has no immediate plans to quit. The dad-of-four vowed: “I’m still going to be staying on at work until April next year when I am 75."
Now he wants to transform part of his big front lawn – which he has nicknamed Wembley Stadium - into a drive for the family cars. And wife Jan, 65, also wants the back garden sorted.
And he is looking forward to taking Jan on more holidays to their beloved Cornwall.
Jan laughed: “This is brilliant…I’ve spent it already. The back garden needs doing. We’ve got arthritis in our knees and it’s getting a bit much.”
Two doors down, Shaun Brennan and wife Aimee were left in shock when their whopping £160,000 win was revealed by lottery ambassador Judie McCourt. 
The couple, both 35, are now dreaming of a new car – and taking their three sons to Walt Disney World in Florida.
Window cleaner Shaun said: "I thought we’d won a couple of grand at most. When I saw the actual amount, I couldn’t believe it. It’s changed our life completely.
"We’ve been thinking about getting a new car for a while. Our youngest was already talking about a Tesla or a Range Rover.
"We’ll go on a little holiday first, but we’ve always wanted to take the kids to Disney in Florida. It’s something we’ve thought about for a while, and now we can make it happen.”
He added: “I’ll get a few beers and a day off tomorrow . . . a few days maybe!”
Women’s clothes retailer Aimee said: “It’s amazing. It’s like living in a dream. I’m absolutely made up. We’ll definitely be celebrating tonight.”
Suzanne Devine, 66, was left 'reeling' after seeing her £160,000 cheque – then said she would celebrate by tucking into her favourite ham and pineapple pizza.
The retired sales assistant said: “It’s brilliant, isn’t it? I’m gobsmacked! I said I’d be happy if I won a thousand pounds. I’ve just got the shock of my life! My legs are shaking!”
She added: “I don’t drink, I just eat pizzas. I’m definitely going to be getting lots of pizzas in!”
Suzanne, who has been playing for more than 10 years, also plans to make some exciting changes to her flat.
She said: “I’ve been living here for almost 30 years now. I’m going fully redecorate the whole flat and get it recarpeted.”
And she added with a laugh: “I can hire a decorator now!”
A further 240 people playing in the wider Wirral area of CH46 7 received cheques ranging from £5,904 to £29,520, depending on how many tickets they play with.
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