Salisbury resident tears ligament but scoops People's Postcode Lottery

Mum of one Debs Orchard, who lives in Bodenham, was five days into a seven-day cruise with her family in the Norwegian Fjords when was dancing to the Faithless dance anthem Insomnia when she collapsed after her left leg gave way.

Debs Orchard (Image: Peoples Lottery)

The mum-of-one was rushed to the ship’s medical centre – before being taken in a wheelchair to a GP surgery in the Norwegian port of Haugesund.

Debs said: “The doctor manipulated my leg, but I was so panicky about not getting allowed back on the boat that I didn’t say a word.”

But on the way back to the boat, her phone started ringing in her rucksack with a call from People’s Postcode Lottery.

She added: “When we were coming back from the GP to our cabin, my phone started ringing in the rucksack and I just thought it was probably the medical centre wanting to know how I’d got on.

“We got into the cabin and I was sitting with my leg on the bed. Pete handed me my phone and I saw the number.

“I dialled it and it came up People’s Postcode Lottery. I thought ‘oh my god’ and, as I was trying to ring back, they were calling me again.

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“This is life-changing. I never expected this in a million years. I can’t believe it. I feel humbled.”

Debs and her husband Pete winning £400,000 (Image: Peoples Lottery)

The family arrived home on August 5 and Debs was fitted with a leg brace at her local hospital’s A&E department and then spent anxious days waiting to find out how much she had won.

The £1 million jackpot was shared with three neighbours with each ticket picking up £200,000 but Debs received £400,000 after buying two tickets.  

She said: “I’ve been playing the Postcode Lottery for 10 years and won £1,000 with one ticket around 2015. I was a bit miffed because me and my husband could have had £1,000 each, so that’s why I went out and bought a second ticket.

“But I never expected a win like this. We thought maybe £60,000 - £30,000 each.”

Debs at the Rhino Sanctuary (Image: Peoples Lottery)

Debs shared the £1m jackpot with three neighbours after SP5 4EG was revealed as the winner of the Postcode Lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street prize. Each ticket picked up £200,000, but Debs doubled her pot with two briefs.

Even with the considerable sum of money, all Debs wanted was a vacuum cleaner.

She said: “When I got the call that I had won, you won’t believe what I talked about buying – a cordless vacuum cleaner. Mine is too heavy, especially with a dicky leg. I’m not the type of person who’s going to go out and buy a £10,000 diamond ring.

She added: “We’ll look after the family, most importantly but  "I love the fact that Postcode Lottery supports the Dogs Trust. Animals are very close to my heart and that is one of the reasons why I signed up."

Debs now plans to revisit a rhino sanctuary.