How many islanders won the lottery on Scotland’s Outer Hebrides? Channel 4 documentary explores huge win
A Channel 4 documentary looks at how Scottish islanders reacted when they won millions on the lottery.
In January 2020, island residents of North Uist and Bernerary in the Outer Hebrides had something to celebrate when they discovered they had the prize winning postcode in the Postcode Lottery.
The grand prize was an impressive £3 million divided between them, and a new one hour Channel 4 documentary, The Scottish Island That Won The Lottery, explores what happened next to the residents of the remote Scottish islands. Did the win change them at all?
How many islanders won the lottery on Scotland’s Outer Hebrides?
There were 101 islanders who shared the £3 million lottery win.
Two neighbours who had the full winning postcode won £193,055 each, with one of them, Pamela Macaskill, telling the Daily Mirror: “I’m just numb, my mouth is dry. I’m completely speechless. You just don’t believe it will ever happen. I mean, that’s massive, isn’t it? My palms have not stopped sweating.”
It doesn’t sound like the win would radically change their lifestyles, however, with Pamela admitting to the Daily Record when she was presented with her cheque that she wouldn’t become a lady of leisure with piles of designer handbags: “I’m more of a tomboy,” she said. “I just stuff things in my pockets. I had to borrow a handbag to come here today!”
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How much did they each win?
While Pamela Macaskill and her neighbour Sharon MacKillip won nearly £200,000 each, the other 99 winners on the islands received prizes ranging from £21,425 to £64,275, depending on how close their address was to the winning postcode.
North Uist councillor Roddy Mackay told the Daily Record how much the win meant to the local economy. “This is huge for the area,” he said. “I expect to see new cars, extensions, people paying off their mortgages. There are plenty of jobs up here but not a lot of money. It will give people a wee bit of financial security.”
“This has brought the island together, everyone is talking online and congratulating each other. There is no jealousy. This is a very giving community. We might have our differences but in a community like this, everybody looks after everybody else.”
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