Seven people in an Essex town along with charities have won a share of a £1million prize fund from the People’s Postcode Lottery. Residents of Leigh Hill in Leigh-on-Sea will be taking hom almost £150,000 rach following the win.
The winners in “Glee-on-Sea” playing with their postcode have landed the lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street prize on Saturday (January 11). The residents took home a whopping £142,857 each.
As a result of their postcode winning the Millionaire Street prize, local charities will also receive significant funding awards. Trust Links is one of those charities and has been awarded £75,000 by Postcode Community Trust.
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It runs therapeutic gardening and positive activities through its Growing Together project, which helps hundreds of people a year. The project provides a safe space for Trust Links members, supporting their mental health and wellbeing, as well as improving the local environment. The charity helped over 4,000 people in 2024 and planted over 1,400 trees.
Matt King, Chief Executive Officer of Trust Links, said: “Westcliff was the first site we developed in 2000 and 25 years later we now operate six sites across Essex. All of our sites offer therapeutic gardening and mental health support, as well as a range of positive activities such as cooking classes, woodwork workshops, employment support, peer support and anything else we can do to help our members.
Matthew King, CEO of Trust Links, in the centre shop
(Image: Postcode Lottery)
“It costs a significant amount to run our projects each year – so the funding we have received will go a long way to support our operations.” Trust Links was founded by local churches and community activists in response to the social and emotional needs of people with mental health issues in the Southend community in 2000.
Many of its members say Trust Links helps them find a sense of purpose, while also giving them a chance to spend time outdoors and improve the natural environment. Matt added: “Everyone is welcome here. We have a strong sense of community, and it is our mission to not only offer a service, but to help transform lives.
“That is why we refer to the people we help as ‘members’ – they’re active members of our community here, and we aim to empower them in any way we can.”
Other local organisations who have been awarded funding include Safe Steps, Little Heroes ASD Support Group, and SEND the Right Message (STRM). People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Danyl Johnson, who delivered the good news, passed on his congratulations to the winners.
People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Danyl Johnson
(Image: Postcode Lottery)
Danyl said: “A massive congratulations to seven of our players in the beautiful seaside town of Leigh-on-Sea who have started 2025 in winning style. I’m absolutely thrilled for them and I’m sure they’ll enjoy spending all that cash. And I’m also delighted that charities near to the winners have also received a huge funding boost.”