United Kingdom-based Chief Felix Ndiweni received an early Christmas gift after he won £39 000 through the Postcode Lottery last week.
Speaking to CITE in an interview, Chief Ndiweni said it came as a surprise to him as he had never played it before and was not expecting to win.
“In the UK we have the National Lottery just like any other country. So you buy a ticket and then you check whether they draw your number on that particular date. The one that I entered is the People’s Postcode Lottery. I had never played it before,” he said.
“This particular lottery was designed to help the community. So when you play it, you write down your address and you register with them. You then write down your postcode on the ticket. These tickets are drawn out almost daily. They may either draw out just your Postcode or several post codes around your area. From there that is when they will choose and select to say you have won so many tickets.”
Chief Ndiweni said he was amazed to have won the lottery on his first attempt. He said that as someone with no experience, he thought it was a scam for a moment.
“As someone who had never played the lottery before, I purchased one ticket for 40pence. I didn’t even know how to do it or how to play it. I later received a letter informing that I had won the Lottery in my area,” he said.
“I was quite skeptical at first. As I went through the document, I came across a part that required me to send my bank details. I said to myself, no, this really is a scam! I just put the letter aside and forgot about it. It was only after I had gone out to buy groceries that I came across a truck from Postcode Lottery announcing that all those who had won were supposed to report to a certain school to claim their money.
“It was only then that I went back home and took that letter and took it to the said school. When I got there they told me that I plead actually played three tickets and the least that one would win for each ticket would be £3 000. I thought to myself that maybe I had won £9 000 from the three tickets I had played but God had smiled at me and I had actually won £39 915. I was so elated.”
Chief Ndiweni said the money raised by the Postcode lottery is used to help local schools and the community at large through various community development projects.
“The money raised through the purchase of tickets is used to help local schools, clinics and other local projects. This is just an initiative by the private sector coming in to help local people without necessarily looking at the central government or local government for funding.”
