Essex TV Daredevil Among Big Postcode Lottery Winners

Luck was in the air across the United Kingdom this week as the People’s Postcode Lottery delivered joy to households from Essex to Flintshire and Cheshire, transforming ordinary days into unforgettable celebrations. On Saturday, January 17, 2026, the spotlight landed on Harlow, Essex, where neighbors in the CM18 6ES postcode scooped a remarkable share of a £1 million jackpot. Each winning ticket in this postcode netted its holder a life-changing £333,333, with the winners including local TV daredevil Reg Dosell and his wife, Lynda.

Reg Dosell, a man whose career has literally reached dizzying heights, is no stranger to adrenaline. For 60 years, he’s been scaling some of Britain’s tallest structures, working for the historic steeplejack firm W. Larkins Ltd, which he took over in the 1970s. His exploits earned him not only two coveted Blue Peter badges but also a place in British television lore. According to the People’s Postcode Lottery, Reg famously assisted presenter John Noakes in climbing the 169-foot Nelson’s Column without safety equipment for a legendary 1977 episode of Blue Peter. Later, he helped Peter Duncan scale Big Ben’s 315-foot tower, again eschewing safety harnesses, and even took entertainer Gary Wilmot to the top of Nelson’s Column for tea during a segment on The Six O’Clock Show.

Reg’s highest climb? That was a power station chimney near the Dartford Crossing, soaring 650 feet above the ground. “It was 650 feet high, and I had to go up and change the navigation lights. I never had safety harnesses on that job either. I had a sack on my back with a big load of bulbs. It was a really scary job,” he recalled for the People’s Postcode Lottery. He also recounted, “I was doing another job on a chimney once and saw a storm coming over. I thought I would go inside the chimney. I could hear the static crackling on the lightning conductor above our heads.”

Despite the risks, Reg looks back fondly. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. People say it’s a really dangerous job and how could I do it. But a job is only dangerous if you make it like that. Common sense in those days was a priority. You didn’t rely on health and safety equipment in those days.”

But even for a man accustomed to extraordinary experiences, winning the lottery was a shock. Reg and Lynda were presented with their cheque for £333,333 by People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Judie McCourt. The couple shared the £1 million prize with another neighbor in their Harlow postcode, making for a memorable weekend in the community. “Work was quite scary, but this has taken the wind out of our sails. This is a totally different ballgame. I can’t imagine what it will be like to see that kind of money in the bank. We will be gobsmacked. It’s a vast amount of money. It’s absolutely amazing… brilliant. I can’t think of any other words to describe it. I can’t imagine what this will do to our lives. It will change it quite a lot,” Reg said, still sounding stunned days after the win.

Lynda, who had celebrated her birthday just days before, was equally astonished. “I’m speechless. It’s not sunk in yet,” she shared. The couple, who still travel around the country testing lightning conductors on churches, already have dreams for their windfall. Reg revealed, “We’ve got relatives in Canada and straight away on the list will be to visit them. We have thoughts and dreams about various things, and this will make them come true—like a new car and holidays. A nice family saloon, I would have thought. Like a Bentley or something like that.” He added, “We’ve worked hard all our lives. Because we’ve always been working all this time, we’ve had the money to do things. Anything we wanted to do, we did it and anything we needed, we bought it.”

The celebration in Essex was not an isolated event. Just two days later, on Monday, January 19, the People’s Postcode Lottery continued its daily tradition of spreading cheer, this time to households in Buckley, Flintshire, and Great Warford, Cheshire. Residents of Mayfield Drive in Buckley (postcode CH7 2PN) and Coniston Close in Great Warford (postcode SK9 7WD) each won £1,000 in the daily draw, according to reports from The Leader and the Wilmslow Guardian. These daily draws see twenty different UK postcodes win £1,000 each, with players paying £12 per month for their chance at a prize.

The People’s Postcode Lottery has become a staple of British life since its launch in 2005, blending the thrill of a lottery with a strong charitable mission. At least one-third of every ticket sold goes directly to charity. To date, the lottery has raised over £950 million for around 9,000 charities and good causes, supporting everything from local initiatives to national organizations. As The Leader points out, “The People’s Postcode Lottery manages lotteries for 20 Postcode Trusts and one-third of your ticket is donated to charity.”

Each month, players are automatically entered into daily draws, weekly prizes, and larger jackpots. Thursdays bring a weekly draw that awards £10 each to players in 1,000 postcodes. Saturdays, as the Harlow winners know well, offer the chance to share in a £1 million pot. The format is simple: sign up with your postcode, pay the monthly fee, and cross your fingers. The odds may be long, but as Reg and Lynda Dosell can attest, lightning really can strike—sometimes more than once in a lifetime.

For many players, the charitable aspect is as important as the prizes. The lottery’s support for good causes has become one of its defining features, funding everything from community gardens to vital medical research. According to the Wilmslow Guardian, “A minimum of 33 per cent from each ticket goes to charity, and players have raised more than £950 million for around 9,000 charities and good causes since 2005.” This dual mission—offering both hope to players and help to those in need—has cemented the People’s Postcode Lottery as a uniquely British institution.

Back in Harlow, as Reg and Lynda contemplate their next adventure—perhaps a trip to Canada, perhaps a shiny new Bentley—they do so with the same spirit that’s defined Reg’s life: a willingness to embrace the unknown and savor every moment. “We have thoughts and dreams about various things, and this will make them come true,” Reg said, echoing the sentiment of lottery winners everywhere. For the Dosells and their fellow postcode winners across the UK, 2026 is already shaping up to be a year to remember.