Cousins who built road's only two homes win postcode lottery

The win will help future generations, Harry and Margaret Livens and Joyce Ablitt say

Cousins who were given their own unique postcode after building the only two homes on a road have won the postcode lottery.

Margaret Livens and Joyce Ablitt, both 72, along with their husbands, built two semi-detached houses on land gifted to them by their grandfather.

The council told them they would need to name the plot of land as a street and have a postcode.

The address, in Little Neston, Cheshire, has won them the £1m prize.

"We built the houses ourselves. It was a real family affair," Mrs Livens said.

"They're the only ones on the street, so we needed our own postcode. This is just incredible."

The win also comes after all three have faced a series of serious health issues

Mrs Livens, who lives with her husband Harry, 73, and widow Mrs Ablitt each picked up £333,333.

Mrs Ablitt, whose husband Peter died 12 years ago, aged 64, said the win was tinged with some sadness.

"The main thing for me wasn't the money or anything. It was because my husband wasn't with me to share it," she said.

"He was a very hard worker and a brilliant man."

The trio said they would use the money to pay for family holidays and said it would be their relatives that reap the benefit of the windfall.

Mrs Livens said she would love a big family holiday with their two daughters and four grandchildren, and Mrs Ablitt said she would like to book a cruise holiday to the Norwegian fjords.

"We can spend the £333 part, but it's the big bit that we have to be careful about," Mrs Ablitt said.

The win also comes after all three have faced health issues, with Mr Livens having open heart surgery in 2020.

Mrs Livens has just been given the all-clear for a fourth year after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 and Mrs Ablitt had a stroke 20 years ago which left her temporarily unable to talk.

Retired Shell UK shift foreman Mr Livens said the money would have a long-lasting impact for the family.

"It's not just our children and grandchildren who will benefit from this, but it will be their children too," Mr Livens said.

"It will just go on."

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