People’s Postcode Lottery: Essex postcode win £1million

Leyla Eaton, 33, said she signed up hours after "a message" randomly came into her head while she was sitting at home in February. 

Now Leyla, who runs a courier firm with husband Jamie, 34, said the family will celebrate with holidays to New York and Turkey. 

Leyla and next door neighbour Henry Aimiuwu, 56, each bagged the windfall in Tilbury, after RM18 7AW won Postcode Lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street £1million prize today.

Neighbours Henry and Leyla celebrate Postcode Lottery win (Image: People's Postcode Lottery)

Every ticket was worth £411,238. The rest of the prize pot was shared among players in the wider RM18 7 postcode area. 

The mum - who had made just three £12 monthly payments before her win - said: “I got a message a couple of months ago to join. It was a strong message I received…a strong feeling.  

“I wasn’t following social media, and I don’t watch normal TV. I was sitting here one day and it just came into my head, like a voice, telling me to join the Postcode Lottery.  

“I questioned myself and thought I was feeling it for a reason and that night I joined. 

“Now this just two months later!” 

She added: “I do get feelings and I latch onto them through instinct. Since last September I’ve been journaling and getting more in touch with myself. I feel pretty in tune. This all feels very surreal, but I’m so thankful.” 

Leyla started shaking when Postcode Lottery ambassador Danyl Johnson presented her prize – then revealed it has been a tough year for the family. 

Her husband Jamie is due to undergo surgery on a hernia in the next few weeks and also suffers from a lower back condition. 

Henry Aimiuwu was stunned (Image: People's Postcode Lottery)

Next door, chemistry teacher Henry fell to his knees when the Postcode Lottery team knocked at his door. Then he threw the cheque away in shock and broke down after seeing the whopping amount he’d won, while wife Roberta shouted ‘What!’ 

Incredibly, dad-of-three Henry wanted to highlight the charities supported by players of Postcode Lottery rather than focusing on his win. 

The grandad said: “The People’s Postcode Lottery are doing a lot for charities, organisations, people in need and that’s what matters. That makes me happy. You know what? Thank you, People’s Postcode Lottery, thank you for what you’re doing. 

“I hope when I wake up tomorrow, I will still be able to say, ‘I’m me’ and that this is real. Winning is good, but the charitable deeds that are part of People’s Postcode Lottery is much better.

“I just think we have got to do more for humanity and that is what the Postcode Lottery is about. 

“Yes, I have won, but we should keep our focus on making sure humanity is preserved.” 

He added: “How do I use this to improve on my humanity? This is huge, this is too huge. Winning is winning, but this is life-transforming. It is just crazy.” 

Henry plans on treating himself and the family by going to their dream holiday destinations – Canada and the Portuguese island of Madeira. 

Wife Roberta, 63 – supported by project analyst daughter Ese, 25 - said her shocked husband hadn’t slept the night before. 

She said: “He was still up at 2am checking the Postcode Lottery website. I told him to calm down.” 

Leyla and Henry had received an email from People’s Postcode Lottery earlier in the day to say that they had each also won a £10 prize. 

Roberta added: “He got an email just before you arrived to say that he’d won £10, and he thought maybe that was it.” 

How much did RM18 7 win?

The rest of the Millionaire Street pot was shared among 204 other players in the wider postcode RM18 7 area.

Each ticket was worth £727. 

The full breakdown of prizes is: 

• 172 players with one ticket - £727 each; 
• 24 players with two tickets - £1,454 each; 
• 8 players with three tickets - £2,181 each. 

Thurrock Play Network’s Sylvia hails cash award (Image: People's Postcode Lottery)

Thurrock Play Network has been awarded £25,000 from Postcode Community Trust following the win.

The charity aims to make play inclusive to everyone in the community, no matter the age or circumstances.  

The funding will go towards the development of a sensory garden for service users and residents to enjoy this summer and the costs of a new van. 

Sylvia Yates, trustee of Thurrock Play Network, said: “Our annual running costs are around £75,000 so the incredible support received from vital funding raised by the players of People’s Postcode Lottery supplies around a third of our annual outgoings. For small non-profit organisations like ours, this is a dream come true.”