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'Lottery win means I can pursue my dream'

Isle of Wight resident Abbie West-Long says her Postcode Lottery win is life changing

Abbie West-Long was preparing to change her dream to move to Canada with her partner, when she had a knock at the door.

After learning she'd won £333,332 in the Postcode Lottery, the charity volunteer said she "just started crying".

Now, the 34-year-old from Cowes on the Isle of Wight says she can chase her dream and build a new life with partner Daryl Marlow in the Canadian Rockies.

Ms West-Long is one of five neighbours in her street to share £1m worth of winnings.

News imagePostcode Lottery Abbie West-Long stands just in front of her partner Daryl Marlow in the street. Abbie has her arms outstretched and is holding an A4 piece of paper from Postcode Lottery which reads £333,332. Abbie has mid-length blonde hair and is grinning at the camera. She wears a pinks zipped hoodie and black t shirt underneath. Daryl stands behind her, smiling. He has long grey and black hair which is tied back in a ponytail.Postcode Lottery
Abbie West-Long and her partner Daryl Marlow plan to use their winnings to pursue their dream of moving to Canada

The Postcode Lottery team arrived on Tuesday to deliver individual tickets worth £166,666.

But as Ms West-Long has been playing with two tickets for the last three years, her prize was double.

"They phoned me and all they told me was I'd won 'a prize'. Then there was a week of sitting in lots of anxiety and waiting for that knock on the door," the childcare practitioner explained.

"For around five years we've wanted to move to Canada. We've put random timers on it to save between the jobs we've had and life happens and obviously things get in the way.

Ms West-Long continued: "But we had started a new timer a couple of months ago and said 'if we can't get it done it will be this, or we'll change our plans'.

"Then literally a month later got that knock on my door and it changed everything."

News imagePostcode Lottery Five people, including Abbie and Daryl stand grinning at the camera with their arms raised happily and holding their prize tickets. Behind them, also grinning, is a member of the Postcode Lottery team, wearing a red jacket and jeans with short brown hair and a moustache. The group is standing in their street, with houses and a patch of greenery in the background.Postcode Lottery
Five neighbours living in Cowes on the Isle of Wight won £1m between them

Ms West-Long and Mr Marlow, 39, had been aiming to save a minumum of £10,000 for a new life in Canada, which they'd pencilled in for 2028.

Now, their timeline has sped up and they're hoping to move in six months' time.

She added: "Our dream move and plan has accelerated massively.

"I do feel like I'm dreaming because this isn't something that happens to me. I usually expect bad news.

"We've been sat going through every dream possible and then thinking, 'oh my God, I don't deserve this, why would I get this?'"

"We've been out to Canada a couple of times and it just felt right. [The money] has ticked all the boxes, it's more than enough."

News imagePostcode Lottery Abbie and Daryl pose for a photo together. They are smiling, looking at the camera and the background greenery is slightly blurred. Abbie stands on the right, wearing a pink zipped hoodie and black t shirt, with blonde hair. Daryl is on the left, he has his arms around Abbie and has grey and black long hair tied in a ponytail with a black short sleeved t shirt on.Postcode Lottery
Abbie and Daryl have been dreaming of moving to Canada for the last five years

The couple, who have been together for 13 years, are hoping to start a family there.

Mr Marlow added: "We have literally not been able to provide the level of stability that we've wanted to start a family, until now."

With the prize worth more than $620,000 in Canadian dollars, the pair are hoping to buy a home in British Columbia, where they envisage living for the rest of their lives.

"A house, land, a dog, a snow shovel, a car," Ms West-Long said.

Her partner adding: "Everything we could want."

News imagePostcode Lottery Abbie stands holding two A4 sized tickets in each hand for the camera. Each ticket reads Postcode lottery £166,666. There is greenery in the background behind her. Abbie has blonde, mid-length hair, is smiling and wears a pink zipped hoodie with a black t-shirt underneath.Postcode Lottery
Abbie has been buy two tickets a month for the Postcode Lottery for the last three years
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