His dream is to go to Everton's new stadium
Colin and his lovely wife Janet nearly missed out on the Postcode Millions prize
Colin and his lovely wife Janet nearly missed out on the Postcode Millions prize
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An Everton fan almost missed out on winning £142,000. Colin Homer, 69, and his wife Janet, 67, put their home on the market two weeks ago – and now their postcode has landed a share of a £1m prize.
Their luck is down to them not having a quick sale on the house, says Colin, or they couldn't missed out on the fortune completely. Colin, who lives in Hertfordshire, said: “We’d only put the house on the market two weeks ago. If it had sold quickly, we could’ve easily stopped the ticket - but fate had other ideas.”
Colin was among seven neighbours in Waltham Cross sharing the lottery’s weekly £1m Millionaire Street prize when EN8 7QY was announced as the winner on Saturday, October 11. Each winning ticket was worth £142,857.
The couple, who have two children, now plan to use the winnings to help fund their upcoming move and finally relax after a "tough few years".
Janet said: “We’ve had some rough times. My dad was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in November 2021. And then the following year our son was also diagnosed with multiple myeloma - a rare blood cancer - and he went through two years of chemo. Thankfully, he’s in remission now."
Colin added: "Then Janet's mum had to go into hospital for two emergency operations, and then she came out and broke her hip. And my brother is having kidney dialysis."
Janet added: "But just in last few months, my mum is now more settled in a care home, our son is in remission. So, now is this time we thought about moving and putting her house on the market and now this."
They’re also eyeing up a well earned holiday to Almería, Spain, and perhaps a dream trip to watch Everton, who Colin has been a lifelong fan of.
Colin said: "I used to have a season ticket, and I travelled up and down to Goodison Park almost every week. I haven't been to the new stadium yet, so I'll definitely do that now.
Janet added: "When our son wasn't well, when he got his cancer, his sister paid for a brick with his name on it at Goodison Park. So, we really need to go and see that."
It was Colin's father-in-law Don Cole, who died in 2021 aged 85, who had first convinced Colin to sign up for the lottery after scooping £1,000 himself.
Janet said: “It was my dad who got Colin into it. About five years ago, my dad got a golden envelope through the door with a £1,000 cheque inside. He was so excited. He then persuaded Colin to play. He's looking down on us now. I'm sure he is."
Moments after winning, Colin lifted his £142,857 cheque above his head and "looked up to the skies" in honour of his late father-in-law.
They said they were "stunned" when their prize was revealed. Janet, a retired admin worker, said: “It takes a while to sink in, doesn’t it? We just stood there in shock.”