August M
A message delivered months earlier took on new meaning just days before Christmas. In a quiet Devon community, an unexpected phone call set off shock, tears and celebration as a major lottery payout was confirmed. For one family, the timing felt anything but random.
According to the Mirror, the People’s Postcode Lottery’s biggest-ever single prize of £18.3m was shared among residents of postcode EX16 6TX in Tiverton. Three players received the top individual prizes, each worth £416,949.
One of them was grandmother Deborah Clymer, 66, who had been playing for just a month. She and her husband Brian, 78, were told they had won shortly before Christmas.
“I literally just signed up in November and then I got a call last Tuesday to tell me I’d won and I just thought it had to be a hoax,” Deborah said.
An eerie prediction
The win immediately reminded Deborah of a visit to a spiritualist church earlier in the year. “I went to a spiritualist church in the summer, and I got a message from my mum,” she said.
She recalled being told, “You’re going to have a wonderful Christmas. You have a big surprise coming.” When the call arrived, Deborah said, “When this happened, I thought, ‘Oh my God, that’s what she meant,’” the Mirror reported.
Family first
According to the Mirror, Deborah said her priority was helping others. “I can do so much good with this. This will be life-changing for so many people,” she said.
She and Brian, who share six children and seven grandchildren, are planning to support their family and create shared memories. Ideas include returning to the Lake District, touring Scotland and possibly rescheduling a Mediterranean cruise cancelled during Covid.
“We’ve got everything that we want…we’ve got a roof over our heads,” Deborah said. “I’ve always said I’m a millionaire anyway.”
A town celebrates
Among the other top winners were Dan Tapp, 42, and his wife Danielle, who also received £416,949. “This is absolutely life changing,” Dan said. “It’s unbelievable.”
The couple plan to take their children to Lapland and Disney, and to include their extended family. “Christmas is going to be amazing, and the turkeys are definitely on us,” Dan added, the Mirror noted.
Luck returns
According to the Mirror, another winner, Tom Stevens, 40, collected £18,592 more than a decade after previously winning £25,000 on the same lottery. “How could lightning possibly strike twice?” he said. “And it has”.
For Deborah, the experience is still sinking in. “Christmas is so special to all of us,” she said. “This one’s going to be amazing.”
Source: Mirror
