A FATHER-of-one who has worked as a taxi driver for more than 20 years said he feels 'incredibly lucky' after discovering he had won £30,000 on the People's Postcode Lottery.

Father of one Nicolas Paraskeva from Burnham-on-Sea said he 'couldn’t wipe the smile from his face' when he discovered he was one of three winners in Sutherland Avenue in Burnham whose postcode TA8 1ND, was picked out as the winner.

Nicolas, 55, said: “This is a life changing amount of money for me and the most wonderful surprise.

"Of all the postcodes that could have been picked I can’t believe mine has come up – I feel incredibly lucky just now.”

Nicolas is planning to hang up the keys to his cab and retire in the next few years and said he will be putting the money towards his retirement.

He said: “Myself and my partner Denise have been trying to save up for our retirement but to be honest I’ve not really been able to contribute much and didn’t think I’d be able to really put anything into the fund but that’s all changed now. This is going to be a lovely nest egg for us both to enjoy.

“Denise and I are also celebrating 30 years together later this year, so I think we might pop to Venice.

"We’ve always spoken about it but now I can afford to take the time off work which is a real rarity. Who knows what else will happen, we might even get married.”

Nicolas was presented with his cheque for £30,000 by People's Postcode Lottery ambassador Julie McCourt who said she is 'thrilled' for the three winners.

She said: “I’ve had a lovely time by the seaside in Burnham-on-Sea and hearing how Nicolas plans to spend his winnings - I hope he has a great time in Venice. I’m thrilled for him, as well as his two neighbours.”

The two remaining winners couldn’t be there to collect their cheques, but the prize money will be paid directly to their bank account.

A minimum of 32 per cent of ticket sales goes directly to charities and players of People’s Postcode Lottery have helped raise more than £427 million to date for good causes across Great Britain and internationally.

The draw was promoted on behalf of Dogs Trust, which has received over £11.7 million thanks to player support.

The funding is used for the day-to-day running of the 19 rehoming centres that Dogs Trust have across Great Britain, helping to care for approximately 15,000 dogs that have either been abandoned, given up by their owners or found as strays.

Players have helped to support the nearby charity Compass Disability Services, which was awarded £8,062 last year to set up a community choir for young carers and young people with additional support needs, helping to reduce feelings of isolation and improve their self-esteem.

For more information about the People’s Postcode Lottery, please visit www.postcodelottery.co.uk or Facebook and Twitter.