Dartford residents win whopping £250,000 in postcode lottery

Chinese Mandarin teacher Yu Sheng, 41, was packing her cases for the Far East trip with her two sons when the whopping windfall was revealed. 

Yu, of Dartford, Kent, said: “I’m flying to China tomorrow, so all the good things are coming together. I haven’t been back home for more than four years because of the pandemic. 

“This has changed my life. I have no words to describe my feelings now. It is the happiest day ever. I’m so excited. I feel dizzy because I thought I was winning an Amazon voucher.” 

Yu landed the windfall with three other neighbours in Dartford, Kent, after DA1 4LR won Postcode Lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street prize.

Every ticket was worth £250,000. 

It’s the second time in eight months that players in Dartford have won Millionaire Street. Five neighbours pocketed £200,000 each after DA1 4SF – less than a mile away from this week’s street - was announced as the winner on Saturday, November 18, last year. 

Yu and her boys, aged 12 and eight, were getting ready for the long journey to Shanghai to catch up with friends, before heading to Guangzhou where eldest son Bojie will attend a summer camp. 

Then Yu and her youngest son Hongyi will head to her hometown of Harbin, in north east China near the Russian border, where her parents still live. 

Dartford residents win whopping £250,000 in People's Postcode Lottery (Image: People's Postcode Lottery)

One of her suitcases was crammed with biscuits, shortbread, chocolate and teas – and Yu hinted there could be more treats for the family. 

She said: “I’m taking biscuits and tea. They love biscuits and chocolate, especially the children. They love Fox’s biscuits the best. I’ve also got English tea, herbal teas and shortbread.” 

She added: “I can take my parents for a holiday. China is huge, so I can take them for a break there.” 

Yu, who teaches Chinese Mandarin at Dartford Chinese School and GCSE Chinese at the local secondary, leapt onto her sons’ trampoline after being presented with her cheque by Postcode Lottery ambassador Matt Johnson. 

She revealed she and husband Jingli have been looking for a new home as her family have outgrown their semi - and her win could now accelerate the plans. 

But she also wants to take more holidays – with dreams of a return trip to Iceland and a vacation in America. 

She said: “We have been looking to upgrade our house. It is getting to be a bit small for us now. We’ve been planning to move for the schools.

“My son is waiting for his GCSE results. It will depend on where he goes to university.” 

She added: “I loved Iceland when I visited in the winter, so I would love to go back in the summer. I love the scenery with the volcanoes and the Blue Lagoon. 

Along the street, Emma Reed broke down in front of two work colleagues as her £250,000 winnings were revealed in their lunch hour. 

Then the tearful mum-of-one admitted she would have been happy with £1,000 so she could buy a bed with a built-in telly. 

Emma, 33, said: “I was Googling beds last night because I thought if I got £1,000, I would get a new bed. 

“This is amazing, incredible. I can’t even put it into words. It is crazy.

“To win £1,000 would have been amazing, but you see this kind of money on TV game shows."

The nursery manager added: “It’s not sunk in at all yet.

“It just looks like a huge piece of paper I’ve been given with a huge number on it.”

Emma said they could now steam ahead with completing the three-bedroom end terrace they have been renovating since May last year – and thank family who have helped them. 

She said: “The loft is still to be done, the garden needs landscaping and we’ve still to get some of the furnishings – the small things that make it a home.  

“A lot of family along the way have helped us.

“It would be great to show our gratitude to them by repaying them.

“My parents helped us with the house and my partner’s parents have helped us renovate the house. There are so many people we have had support from.” 

And she is now thinking of returning to Florida with the extended family for a dream holiday – and introducing her son Mason, two, to Disney. 

She said: “We always wanted to go back to Florida. With money like this, we could go on a big family holiday and see my son enjoy the Disney experience.

“He loves Disney+, especially Toy Story and Elemental.

“He’s got 10 cousins that love it, too. 

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. It’s insane.” 

Partner Bradley Masher, 31, a bid coordinator for the family building firm, said over FaceTime: “I’m absolutely lost for words. It is absolutely mad.” 

A few doors down, Andy Wilkes’ wife Helen burst into tears when he pulled his £250,000 cheque from the golden envelope. 

Building firm boss Andy, 52, now wants to stop off at Jamaica on a Caribbean cruise to visit the home of one of his musical idols. 

The dad-of-three said: “I’m a big reggae fan and I’d love to visit Bob Marley’s house and museum in Jamaica. It’s such a relaxed way of life there.” 

Former Post Office worker Helen, 56, staggered back when she saw the winning amount, clasped her hands to her face and started sobbing. 

But her tears turned to joy when she heard Andy talk about planning more breaks for the holiday-crazy couple. 

The pair have already been on a Caribbean cruise this year and have another one lined up in October around the Croatian coast. 

Then they’re off to Disneyland Paris with grandson Oliver, two, in November before embarking on another round of Caribbean cruises in the New Year. 

Shocked Andy said: “Thank you so much. This is amazing, absolutely amazing. I’m dumbstruck. This means we can have a nice savings account. 

“It is such a shock to see that amount of money. I never thought we would have that amount of money ever. I feel joy, happiness and relief. 

“We’ll have a few more holidays and have a nice bit of money behind us if we want to do anything.

“We like doing cruises, so we can book a few more because we like to see different parts of the world.  

“We’ve got one planned to Croatia in October, so maybe we could upgrade to first class on the plane. We also have friends out in America, so we can go out and see them now.

“It opens up so many possibilities for what we want to do.” 

But Andy said he has no plans to quit the building firm he took over from his dad.

He said: “I enjoy work too much to retire. I like the people I work with and we have a good crack. They might be a bit nicer now they all know I have a bit of money behind me.” 

He added: “I’m under pressure to finish an extension.

“he customer at the moment hasn’t got a kitchen, so I’m trying to get it in and finished for her.” 

Andy said he signed up for Postcode Lottery to help charities. He said: “We like giving to charity when we can.

“This is a good way of trying to win something while giving to other people who are less fortunate."

He and his neighbours were delighted to learn that their win means that local charities have benefitted from the Millionaire Street prize.   

And one organisation, Healthy Living Centre Dartford, has been awarded £50,000 by Postcode Community Trust. 

The charity aims to reduce health inequalities and improve community health and well-being in Dartford, particularly in underrepresented communities.  

Sharon Phillips, Chief Officer at Healthy Living Centre Dartford, said: “We were so emotional when we received the news about the funding from People’s Postcode Lottery.

“It’s really going to make a huge difference. It will allow us to carry out more outreach work so we can expand into the rural areas of Dartford.” 

From cookery clubs and craft sessions to exercise sessions and a gardening club, the charity delivers and facilitates projects offering a range of opportunities for training, social interaction, and community engagement. 

Sharon said: “We have one beneficiary who has been coming to our gardening club for nearly five years now, and who also takes part in our weekly chop and chatter group.  

“The charity has completely transformed his life, and our work wouldn’t be possible without the support of our 62 dedicated volunteers who lead the majority of our sessions.”  

She added: “I’m in my twentieth year of being involved with the organisation that became Healthy Living Centre Dartford, and I’ve seen it grow from a very small organisation to a well-represented charity that supports people across the borough of Dartford.”

Other local charities who have shared the Millionaire Street pot include: 

Bexley Mencap - £50,000

Providing support and opportunities to people with learning disabilities and the people that care about them within the local area. They aim to raise awareness, break down barriers and promote understanding within the community. 

Naked Frank Theatre - £5,000

A physical theatre company with a focus on supporting mental health recovery through arts engagement. They have free outreach events, perform and tour new and original theatre, host workshops and run projects and collaborations with charitable organisations. 

All Shades of Life CIC - £3,000

A dynamic and proactive CIC company whose main objective is to unite and strengthen its community through its sports programs. Their fitness and wellbeing classes help to support children and young people with their physical and emotional health.  

All of this funding was awarded by Postcode Community Trust.