A CLYDEBANK gran who has scooped a £30,000 prize in the People's Postcode Lottery says the "brilliant" news is just what she needed - after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Thomasina Allan, 76 was one of six Clydebank neighbours who bagged a total of £210,000 in the lottery's Street Draw on Monday.
G81 1AJ was announced as the winning postcode for November 22, landing five neighbours with a £30,000 cash prize and a sixth netting £60,000 playing with two tickets.
Thomasina said: “It’s amazing really! It’s hard to take it all in.
“It can open doors, it’s a bit of relief and takes a lot of weight off.”
Thomasina says the win has brightened her year up immensely after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
She added: “The doctors found a mass in my left lung and I had surgery to take it away, followed by four weeks of radiotherapy.
“They said it would take about five years before they could tell if the cancer is gone or not. So, this news is brilliant, it really is. I can do some things now because you don’t know what’s going to happen one day to the next.”
Thomasina stopped working a few years ago after cleaning cars for well over 40 years and now plans to take enjoy her retirement by taking her granddaughter on a holiday to Melbourne to visit her sister who she last saw in 2007.
The mum-of-four suffered the loss of her son Frankie after he lost his own battle with cancer at the age of 24 - but the resilient gran has remained positive, believing she’s finally received some well-deserved luck.
Husband and wife, John McHugh, 52, and Jackie Hogan, 53, were also elated after finding out they had won £30,000 each.
John said: “I feel overwhelmed, totally overwhelmed. I never ever thought this would happen to us.”
Jackie said: “I’d been playing it for four years and I only found out John played when he came in the other day and said, ‘I just got a call from the Postcode Lottery’ and I went and checked my phone and said, ‘Well if you’ve won, I’ve won as well!"
The pair are now planning to take some time off work to go on holiday. John said: “We’re going to book a cruise and enjoy ourselves after a really tough couple of years.”
Jackie who works as a carer for West Dunbartonshire Council, said: “During Covid, we’ve both worked pretty much every day. It was really bad during the start of the pandemic; I was out from 7am right through to 11pm every other day.”
John was quick to point out why his wife was so deserving of some good fortune after caring for her mum and many of her clients in the local area: “We both work really hard, but I know what Jackie’s been through as a carer as well as looking after her mum around the clock who has Alzheimer’s."
Jackie added: “It means I don’t need to work every day. It’s not even the winning of the money, it’s just cheered us all up."
Tam Buckley, 68, was the first to get a knock on the door.
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted! It means a lot, there will be less worrying for the future and I’ll be able to help my family out as well.”
Tam retired three years ago after working on oil rigs in the North Sea, and said he'd already decided what to do with his prise.
“I’d like a new car," he said, "and so would my wife as we’re using one car between the two of us just now.
"We’d like to travel up north of Scotland to the islands. I’ve been up to Skye before, and I’d like to spend more time up exploring new places.”
Louise Murray, 57, also won £30,000 and was overjoyed at the win.
She said: “It’s brilliant, it’ll do a lot for my kids and my family.”
Louise is now planning a holiday to Spain and highlighted the win will help make Christmas even more special this year: “We want to go away in January and we can have a better Christmas than normal, and I can buy more nice gifts for the kids.”
Louise’s daughter Courtney recently got engaged and asked her mum for a wedding dress after finding out the prize.
Louise laughed and replied: “A wedding dress, a £30,000 one. It will be knowing her!”
People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Jeff Brazier presented the winners with their prize cheques, he said: “What a great way to start your week! I had a fantastic time presenting this good news to Tam, Thomasina, Louise, Jackie and John and our other winners in Clydebank."
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