'I thought it was a wind-up': Northamptonshire animal rescue charity WINS 'massive' postcode lottery windfall

Animals in Need, based in Irchester, were picked as the local charity beneficiary when the winning postcode – NN29 7SN, in Wollaston – was drawn for the Millionaire Street prize on Saturday (June 21). Each of the eight winning residents pocketed £125,000.

Charity founder Annie Marriott said the call came completely out of the blue – and at first, she did not believe it.

Annie said: “I actually heard last week, but I was sworn to secrecy. We applied for a grant from them five years ago and never heard back. I just assumed that was it.”

So when she got an email from the Postcode Lottery asking to talk, she thought it might just be some guidance on how to apply again.

Annie said: “I thought they were going to help me fill out a better application. Then she said, ‘Well, I’m pleased to tell you, we’re sending you £50,000.’ I was like – is this a wind-up? Are you serious?

“I kept thinking someone was going to ring me up and say, ‘Only joking’. But the next day I sent them an email saying, ‘Oh my God – that’s £50,000!’”

For a centre that relies on donations to care for injured and abandoned animals, the money is a huge help.

Annie said: “People don’t realise how hard it is to raise that much. I’m out fundraising nearly every weekend and probably don’t make £50,000 in a year.

“Our running costs are about £30,000 a month, and we’ve got fencing going up in July that’s costing £20,000, plus new shelters.”

The charity had not expected to be chosen but they were told someone close to them had won, and that put the area in the frame.

“They wouldn’t say where, just said it was a postcode very close to us. My husband Roy plays the lottery – and on Saturday he saw it and said, ‘It’s Wollaston’. That’s literally a 10-minute walk away.”

Annie said she was thrilled for the neighbours who won, as well as for the animals who will now benefit too.

She said: “There’s young couples on that street, people putting deposits down on homes, booking their first holiday abroad. It’s life-changing. And for us – it really is massive. Without support like this, we wouldn’t be able to carry on doing what we do.”