Eileen Ross, 52, from Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, won £142,857 in the Postcode Lottery, but initially believed the win was an elaborate prank by her brother Bob, 54. Her street secured the Millionaire Street prize, splitting a £1million jackpot between Eileen and six neighbours.
Win mistaken for a prank
Eileen and her partner George Duncan remained convinced the win might be a set-up by her brother. "I thought either my brother Bob or my nephew were pranking us," Eileen said. "It would be a pretty elaborate prank, but they do go to some lengths."
She added: "I'm going to tell him that I've won, but he won't have known that I thought he was pranking me. I will apologise to him."
Life-changing news
Eileen and six neighbours each banked £142,857 after postcode AB39 2LH landed the Millionaire Street prize. The architect learned of her win while at a building site.
"This is mind blowing, life changing," she said. "I only ever write down numbers like that on bills. I can't get my head round it. If Bob comes round the corner, I'll be really annoyed."
George, 49, a web designer, was equally surprised. "This is awesome, it feels mental, absolutely bonkers," he said. "We got a phone call to say the Postcode Lottery would arrive around 11.30am, but when it got to noon and no-one had appeared we wrote it off. Then the doorbell rang."
Celebrations and plans
The couple, who are passionate Latin and ballroom dancers, plan to spend on George's upcoming 50th birthday celebrations. "We've got a number of social circles. We'll bring them all together in the town hall," George said. "We'll hire a big band and invite everyone and put a free bar on."
A family holiday to Tenerife is already booked. "There will be dancing in Tenerife. What a holiday this is going to be," George added.
Despite the windfall, the couple's wish list remains down to earth. They plan to fix their BMW after it failed its MOT and decorate their bedroom. "I might get a new pair of slippers," Eileen joked. "We've lived here for 12 years, and we've never decorated the bedroom upstairs. It's still raw plaster."
The couple also pledged to treat their nearest and dearest this Christmas. "We're hosting Christmas this year, so it will be a bigger turkey and extra haggis bonbons," Eileen said. "This street has such a good community spirit and it's really nice to be sharing this. It's super exciting if others have won. They're all good people who have stayed here for a long time."
