A LUCKY Kidderminster pet-sitter has scooped up a 'life-changing' sum of £182,962 from the People’s Postcode Lottery on Friday (August 30).

Joan Holland, aged 58, is one of 819 people celebrating in Kidderminster after the winning postcode DY11 7 was revealed.

Around £3 million was won by by residents and Joan, who is the only resident who plays with the lucky postcode, took home the biggest cheque of the day.

The Postcode Lottery team, including ambassador Jeff Brazier, were out in the town presenting cheques to some of the winners.

She said: “This is beyond my wildest dreams. It’s life changing.

“I haven’t had a holiday since 2011 so I’d love to go away somewhere. It’s my 60th birthday next year and I have relatives in Australia so I might go over there to celebrate – it’s always been a dream of mine to go.

“I’m going to be practical with the money too. My children have all grown up and are moving out now, so the house is feeling a bit big and needs some work done to it.

"I like being busy and don’t intend to stop working but this means I’ve got a bit of a cushion.”

Kidderminster Shuttle:

Joan also spoke about how the money raised by playing People’s Postcode Lottery is important to her.

She added: “I signed up originally because I had been donating to a number of charities and it seemed like an easy way to support a variety with just £10 a month.

"I volunteer at the local RDA who receive support so I know how big a difference it makes to them.”

The remaining 818 players in the DY11 7 sector shared the rest of the money, with amounts varying from £3,098 to £9,294 depending on the number of tickets they played with.

With a minimum of 32 per cent of every ticket going to charity, players have raised over £462 million for more than 6,500 charities to date.

The draw was promoted on behalf of Postcode Sport Trust, which funds charities and good causes that are improving the health of communities by encouraging and inspiring participation in sports.