A Somerset veteran has been awarded a remarkable £500,000 prize in the Postcode Lottery, despite forgetting he had entered the draw.
Rick Robinson, a 58-year-old retired Royal Artillery soldier from Street, Somerset, initially believed the call informing him of his win was a prank. Having completely forgotten that his Postcode Lottery subscription was still active, Rick was taken aback when told he had won £250,000 on each of two tickets.
“I thought it was a joke initially when I got a call from someone claiming to be from Postcode Lottery and they said, ‘You’ve won a prize’. I thought, ‘No, I haven’t’,” Rick recalled. “It only sank in after I checked my banking app and saw that I was indeed playing.”
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Rick was one of eight lucky winners from the village of Street, near Glastonbury, whose postcode BA16 0LW won the monthly £250,000 prize on Saturday, 29 August. In total, the local winners collectively received £2.25 million, with each ticket valued at £250,000.
Rick and his wife Sharon, 56, were visibly overwhelmed as they were presented with twin cheques each valued at a quarter of a million pounds. Rick admitted, “I couldn’t take it in, if I’m honest. It was too much to believe. It’s insane, an absolutely incredible amount of money.” His wife Sharon joked, “Someone will need to scrape me up off the floor.”
Rick joined the Army in 1985, serving with the 19th Regiment Royal Artillery, formerly known as the Highland Gunners, and spent much of his service stationed in Dortmund, Germany. Serving in a special operations troop, he dedicated nearly six and a half years before leaving the military, partly because of the long periods away from his first-born son, Grant.
After leaving the army, Rick pursued a career in warehousing and became a warehouse operations manager. Now, with his lottery winnings, he faces a new chapter of opportunities and relaxation.
He explained that he had signed up to the Postcode Lottery several years ago and simply assumed his participation had ended. “I thought after a period of time it would stop, like you sign up for a set amount of time. I didn’t realise it just kept on going.”
Looking ahead, Rick expressed a desire to travel with Sharon, particularly to revisit the scenic Scottish Highlands he explored during his military service. “I’ve always wanted to take Sharon because it’s just mind-blowingly beautiful. We’ve also been wanting to do the Brecon Beacons and really take in all the surroundings.”
The couple have four children and four grandchildren, with a fifth grandchild expected later this year. Their youngest daughter, Rosie, is due to have her first child in late November, though Rick doubts the family will immediately believe the news of their extraordinary fortune.
“They’re not going to believe us,” Rick said. Sharon added, “I don’t think the kids will believe us at all. We don’t even believe this ourselves.”
Despite his windfall, Rick has no immediate plans to retire. “I quite enjoy working. It keeps me fit, keeps my brain going.” Still, he admits the prize has secured their financial future: “When I sit here today and talk about our financial security now, just to think that’s it done and all taken care of. It’s beyond words.”
Further along the same street, retired accountant Tel Hayes, 77, and his wife Morveen, 81, also celebrated winning £250,000. The couple had booked a cruise through the Norwegian Fjords and, thanks to their lottery win, will now enjoy an upgraded cabin. Tel said, “I can’t believe it. Just stunned, really. I’ve never had or expected to have that much money. It’s beyond our wildest dreams.” Morveen added, “I’d have been delighted with just £10,000.”
Celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary on the same weekend, the Hayeses described their win as a perfect way to mark their marriage. Tel joked he was looking forward to creating a spreadsheet to organise their new finances.
Other winners in the draw included John Sturgess, 53, Sally Norton, 68, and Edward Sprake, 54, who received their news during a video call with lottery ambassador Matt Johnson.