A LUCKY woman who saw her “forgotten valley” street scoop £1million on the People’s Postcode Lottery said she didn’t think they would win anything.

Rebecca Banks was one of 11 winners on a street in Nantymeol, Ogmore Vale, to bag an eye-watering £83,333 each.

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Rebecca broke down in tears after the win and said the windfall was hard to believe for “the forgotten valley” village.

She said: “We are the forgotten valley as we don’t have many amenities for anyone.

“The buzz on the street and around the whole place is just unreal.

“We’ve got a couple of small shops, the pub has only been open a couple of months, there’s no supermarkets and the nearest is a 20-minute drive away.

“We don’t have any petrol stations, nothing at all. So, for this to happen is just incredible.”

Rebecca, who works for a credit union, said: “We can just enjoy life and have fun.

“We’re going to Thailand next April, so we might make a few upgrades.

“And it’s my 40th birthday in December, so now we could go on a nice weekend away.”

Alan and Muriel Owen also won a life-changing sum in the lotto.

Muriel said: “I couldn’t believe it, I thought it was a scam at first, and then I said to [Alan] somebody was playing a sick joke on us.”

Fortunately, the phone call confirmed their win was real, and now the couple look forward to splashing their newfound wealth.

Alan and Muriel wasted no time and had already booked a trip to Turkey to celebrate.

The lucky pair added that it was “amazing” to share the win with the other residents, describing them as “lovely valleys people”.

Most of the winners in Nantymeol came together to celebrate at the local village pub, with owner Helen Smith describing the news as “fantastic”.

She said: “It was a lovely atmosphere here, we put on free prosecco for everybody to help them celebrate.”

“It’s nice to see lovely people winning money.”

It comes after a great gran who won £166,666 says her husband will have to write a “begging letter” if he wants to see a single penny of it.

Gill English landed the cash on People’s Postcode Lottery in Rugby, Warwickshire – and is now planning a slap-up carvery dinner for her big family.

The retired carer also said she is prepared to buy her hubby a new pair of shoes – but only once she sees his “begging letter”.

How to enter the People’s Postcode Lottery

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• The Postcode Lottery is a subscription-based lottery in which players sign up with their postcode.
• Your postcode is your ticket number – 40p a day ensures entry into all drawers, or £12 a month.
• Once subscribed, they are automatically entered into every draw.
• Prizes are announced every day of the month.
• If your postcode gets luck, every player in your postcode wins.
• 33 per cent of the ticket price will go to charity that is re-funnelled back into the community.

A MAJOR coffee chain with over 2,000 branches has abruptly shut leaving customers “absolutely gutted”.

The Costa Coffee branch in Fleet Walk, Burnley, has pulled down the shutters for the final time.

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The branch has actually been closed since the start of the month with customers left confused as to why it was empty.

But the company has now confirmed the closure is permanent, and it is set to be replaced by another shop.

A Costa Coffee spokesperson said: “We can confirm that our Costa Coffee store on Fleet Walk, Burnley, which is owned and operated by one of our corporate partners, closed for trade at the beginning of September 2024.

“Customers are however still able to visit the Costa Coffee store located in Tesco on Centenary Way.”

Many shoppers were left disappointed after the branch shut down.

Commenting on news of the closure one said: “Absolutely gutted on Saturday when I couldn’t get my Costa!”

Another wrote: “Town centre is dying of a slow death.”

A third quipped that the situation was a “Costa living crisis”.

The store only reopened in July 2022 following a refurbishment inside.

The popular café has already closed dozens of its sites in recent months.

Costa closed its branch in Alexandra retail park, Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, on Sunday 1 September.  

The franchised site had been open for nine years, and customers have said it was a “great place”.

Coffee giant Costa regularly reviews its store estate across the UK.

This can include the closing or renovation of existing stores, or the opening of new stores.

Below we reveal the full list of Costa Coffee sites which have already shut and those which are due to close this year.

To find your nearest store or Costa Express machine, you can visit the chain’s website.

Which Costa Coffee shops have closed?

Each of the sites which have closed has further Costas nearby, which you can find using the locator tool on the chain’s website.

The following branches closed, or are set to close this year.

• Packhorse Road, Buckinghamshire – January 10
• King Street, Maidstone, Kent – January 20
• Chiswick High Road, London – February 6
• Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh – February 14
• Rottingdean, Brighton and Cove – February
• Erdington High Street, Birmingham – March 1
• Cheltenham (inside House of Fraser) – March 23
• Stockton Heath, Warrington – April 11
• High Street West, Uppingham – May
• Rhyl High Street, North Wales – May 14
• The Martlets, Burgess Hill, July 8
• Maryport Street, Devizes – August 15
• Alexandra retail park, Tunstall – September 1

Here are the Costa shops which closed in 2023:

• Coliseum retail park in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire – June 3
• Welch Way, Witney – June 5
• Wigan town centre – June 25
• Five Rise Shopping Centre, Bingley – July 9
• High Street, Worcester – July (relocated September 15)
• Lowestoft’s North Quay retail park – July 23 (refurbishment)
• Church Street, Oakham – September 15
• West Bridgford, near Nottingham – September 22
• Commercial Street, Newport, Wales – October
• Church Street in Malvern, near Worcestershire – November 17
• Gatwick Airport South Terminal – November

Which other food and drink chains have closed?

Food and drink chains in general have been suffering in recent months as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending on eating out.

Businesses had been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.

Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny’s closing branches.

In early 2023, burger chain Byron Burger collapsed into administration resulting in the loss of over 200 jobs.

Prezzo, the Italian chain, also revealed plans to shut 46 restaurants last year as a result of soaring energy and food costs, putting 810 jobs at risk.

More recently, Papa Johns confirmed 43 closures for May 2024.

Although some chains have managed to persevere, like Greggs which announced huge expansion plans.

Bakery chains Wenzel’s the Bakers and Patisserie Valerie are also looking at opening new branches.

RETIRING early might sound like an impossible goal, but anyone can manage it if they know the tips and tricks to saving at the right time and in the right way.

The good news is that even small changes can make massive difference to how much you have saved and when you can afford to stop work.

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A new movement, known as the FIRE movement (financial independence, retire early) are looking to retire as soon as possible.

But you don’t need to be this extreme – there are realistic ways to retire early without working too hard.

The earlier you start making small changes, though, the easier it is, and if you leave retirement saving too late, you might actually have to retire later than you’d prefer.

We spoke to Robert Cochran, a pensions expert at Scottish Widows, to uncover the secret to retiring early and comfortably.

You can watch the video above to hear more about his top tips.

Start early

Cochran’s first tip is to get saving as soon as possible. There are two reasons for this, the first is straightforward – starting earlier means more savings.

For instance, if you saved £100 a month into your pension from aged 16, you’d have £46,800 by the time you were 55, without any investment growth, employer contributions, or tax relief.

But, if you started at 40, you’d only have £22,500.

The more important consideration is investment growth, which compounds over time. Essentially this means that the returns you earn on your pensions are reinvested, which, so the money grows exponentially.

Cochran explained: “Einstein said that compound interest was the eighth wonder of the world, these who know it will grow it, and those who don’t will pay it.”

For instance, if you pay a thousand pounds into a pension, and it earns 5%, in the first year you would get £50 added, in the second you’d have £1,050 invested and get £52.50 back.

The year after that you would get £55.13 added, and by year 10 you’d be getting £77.57 in interest – all without saving any extra money.

If you keep adding to the pension each year, the results are even more stark. For instance, if you saved £1,000 a year into a pension with growth of 5%, from age 18-55, you’d have £107,709.55 to retire on. 

Of that, £69,709.55 would be interest paid, which is essentially free money that you’ve earned on your savings.

If you were paying minimum auto-enrolment levels on the average UK full time salary, which works out as around £2,797 a year, you’d have £301,263.60 to retire on aged 55. But if you didn’t start saving till you were 30, you’d have just £142,964.33.

Consider saving into a pension for your children

Parents are allowed to open Junior SIPPs for their children, which is a way of saving money for their retirement.

You’re allowed to save up to £3,600 a year, 20% of which comes in the form of tax relief from the Government. That means you can save £240 a month before tax relief.

If you do this from birth until they are 18, you’ll have over £64,800 saved for them.

Even if they never pay another penny in themselves, they’d have £394,075.17 by age 55, with returns of 5%. If they wait until they’re 60 to access the cash, they could have half a million pounds to retire on.

Cochran said: “You can actually pay contributions in for children. So, imagine somebody’s born and then you pay in contributions for them till they’re age 18… and then you leave that money to grow by the time they’re 60.

“That money could be worth £1 million. And that’s purely through compound and growth.”

Don’t leave cash on the table

Cochran’s third tip is to make sure that you’re never missing out on free money that’s available.

The first thing to consider is auto-enrolment. Most people aged between 22 and 64 who are employed are auto-enrolled into a pension.

The minimum auto-enrolment level is 8% of your qualifying earnings, which is made up of a mix of money deducted from your salary, tax relief, and contributions from your employer.

It is possible to opt-out of auto-enrolment, but not only does that mean you won’t be saving, you’ll also miss out on the contributions from your workplace. That means you’re giving up free money from your boss, and you’ll lose the tax relief too.

Even if you’re not eligible for auto-enrolment, for instance if you’re under 22, or earn less than £10,000 a year from a single employer, you might be able to opt in. 

For instance, if you earn more than £6,240, you can choose to join the scheme and your employer will still have to pay contributions.

Another key thing to look out for is matching, which is when your employer says it will pay more money into the scheme if you do, up to a maximum. 

Cochran explained: “Go back to your employer and find out the maximum contribution you’re entitled to get from them.

“If you’re not receiving it, go ahead and ask for it. It might mean that you have to pay a little bit more, but do not leave cash on the table.”

Track down lost pensions

The Pension Policy Institute says that there is £26.6billion in lost pensions money.

Typically, this is where people have saved into a scheme but then moved job or house and forgotten about the pot.

Cochran said: “Use the Government’s free pension tracing service and find out what you’ve got.”

To get started, gather all the pensions paperwork you do have, and make a list of every employer you’ve worked for or private pension you’ve opened.

The tracing service will tell you who ran the scheme at the time, and how to contact them. Then, you can get in touch and check whether they have any retirement savings in your name. 

Make a plan

The fifth thing to do if you want to retire early is make a concrete plan.

Cochran said: “You need to know what you’re going to be doing in retirement… so, look towards your future. Use the tools and calculators that are there to help you.”

We’ve done a round up of some of the most useful tools out there, which can help you work out what you’re on track to have saved, and what you can do to improve your retirement prospects.

Start by working out how much you need to have squirrelled away, and don’t be scared by illustrative examples.

For instance, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) retirement living standards research says that a single person who wants a comfortable retirement will need £43,100 a year to live on.

But of course, this is higher than the average UK salary, and there are lots of people who live comfortably on much less.

The amount you need will be determined by how early you want to retire, your life expectancy, your salary and typical monthly expenditure, and whether you own your home or not.

If you’re over 50, you can book a free and impartial session with a Pension Wise adviser who can share important information and make sure you understand all the facts before you decide to retire.

Millions of households could be in line for cost-of-living payments worth up to £3,225 this winter.

For those under financial pressure, several schemes offering support to help you get through the cold period.

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With additional heating costs, not to mention Christmas expenses, the winter months can mean additional financial pressure.

For some this will be exacerbated by the government’s decision to limit the number of people who receive the £300 winter fuel payment from this year.

The support available includes the following…

Warm home discount – worth £150

The £150 warm home discount is available to pensioners and those on low incomes.

Those who qualify for the discount will have £150 deducted from their energy bills by the end of March 2025.

You’ll be eligible if you receive the guarantee credit element of Pension Credit, or are on a low income and have high energy costs.

The discount should be automatically deducted from your energy bill this winter if your eligible, but those on low-incomes living in Scotland need to apply through their energy providers.

If you were eligible for the payment last winter and did not receive it, contact your energy supplier.

If your energy supplier is unable to help write to the warm home discount scheme on 110552 Warm Home Discount Scheme,
PO Box 26965, Glasgow, G1 9BW.

Winter fuel payment – £300

This year winter fuel payments will only be made to retirees on Pension Credit and several other means-tested benefits.

Under the new rules, all households claiming the following benefits will automatically receive this year’s winter fuel payment, unless they live abroad:

• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment Support Allowance
• Child tax credit
• Working tax credit

Only those living abroad and meeting certain conditions must apply for the cash this winter.

If you do not live in the UK, you’re only eligible for the winter fuel payment if:

• You moved to an eligible country before January 1, 2021
• You were born before September 23, 1958
• You have a genuine and sufficient link to the UK – this can include having lived or worked in the UK and having family in the UK

You only need to claim winter fuel payment if you’ve not received it since you moved abroad.

To claim by post, you’ll need to fill in the winter fuel payment claim form and post it to the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

This will be available at www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-to-claim from September 30.

Cold weather payment – £25 a week

Cold weather payments are made to eligible residents in areas where the temperature is recorded at zero degrees Celsius or below, for seven consecutive days.

A £25 payment will be made for each seven day period of very cold weather between November 1 2024 and March 31 2025.

You may be eligible for the payments if you receive:

• Pension Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Universal Credit
• Support for Mortgage Interest

Payments are made automatically, so you do not need to apply for the benefit.

Christmas bonus – £10

Those receiving benefits could be eligible for a £10 Christmas bonus.

The Department for Work and Pensions usually pays the bonus during the first full week of December.

If you receive any of the following benefits, the money will be paid automatically into your registered payment account.

• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Child Disability Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance
• Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
• Industrial Death Benefit
• Mobility Supplement
• Pension Credit – the guarantee element
• Personal Independence Payment 
• State Pension 
• Severe Disablement Allowance
• Unemployability Supplement or Allowance
• War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
• War Widow’s Pension
• Widowed Mother’s Allowance
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance
• Widow’s Pension

The bonus isn’t available to those who receive Universal Credit only but someone on Universal Credit who also receives one of the qualifying benefits will receive it.

Household Support Fund – up to £740

Struggling households can access a range of support to help with the cost of living via the Household Support Fund.

The fund has recently has been extended for the sixth time, with £421million set to be made available to regional councils to distribute from October 2024.

The support you can access depends on where you live, but funds can be paid out as shopping or fuel vouchers, cash payments or other means.

Under the previous round of funding households in Leicester could apply to receive £300 payments to help with utilities and essential costs.

In Plymouth eligible residents could receive a maximum of £740 in vouchers.

This included £240 in supermarket vouchers, £200 in energy vouchers as well as an essential item of household furniture or white goods or £300 of clothing vouchers.

Schemes vary across the country, but every council will receive funding to distribute.

To see what’s on offer where you live contact your local council.

Energy grants – up to £2,000

Energy firms are handing out up to £2,000 to help those struggling with energy costs to cover bills.

A number of firms, including British Gas and Octopus Energy, are offering grants and other support.

They have different schemes and different criteria to access help, so you need to check what is offered through your provider.

But many will write off debts or offer grants for as much as £2,000.

If you’re not entitled to financial help this winter there are easy changes you can make to cut energy bills.

From reducing energy consumption to effectively heating your home The Sun’s guide can help you cut costs.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

EVERYONE loves a bargain, and none more so than me.

As editor of The Sun’s daily Savers, I spend hours every week scouring for the best discounts, dupes and deals across the shops we know and love.

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Heading into autumn, shops are filled with new seasonal items in a bid to tempt customers to part with their hard-earned cash.

Not everything you see is actually a great deal – but there are plenty of affordable bargains to be had.

Here are some of the best deals that I have seen…

AFFORDABLE AUTUMNAL STYLE

If you want to add a touch of autumnal style to your home, the shops are filled with decor that won’t break the budget.

Plush pumpkins look great nestled among cushions on the sofa, or you could use a few to make a display.

You can get these novelty items in a variety of colours, sizes and materials from Hobbycraft, with prices starting from £1.

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Door wreaths are not just for Christmas, etiher – a seasonal garland is the perfect way to embrace the changing leaves and darker nights.

You can get an autumn leaf wreath for as low as £4 from Poundland or £7 from Flying Tiger. These will last year after year so are a worthwhile long-term investment.

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STAY WARM

Falling temperatures mean now is the time to get cosy. To avoid switching on the heating too early, I have already been snuggling in my wearable blanket while watching TV in the evenings.

You can pick up one from just £5 from Online Home Shop.

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I also have switched my bedding to fleece-lined sheets to feel extra toasty – these start from £6 at Online Home Shop.

You can’t go wrong with a pair of satin pjs for a little luxury at bedtime, either. Primark’s sets are £22 – and would also make a great Christmas pressie.

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I’m also in love with Dunelm’s range of super cute warmies – including Sam the sausage dog and Reggie the cockapoo, £7 each.

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With the darker evenings, I have been lighting candles to create a feeling of warmth at home too.

Small scented jar candles are just £1.80 at Primark with a few different scents to choose from – try black vanilla, my personal fave.

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Or you can give your home a lovely autumnal scent with the pumpkin pie candle, which is £5 from B&M.

TASTY TREATS

I’m a real sucker for chocolate. Lindt Lindor has just launched some divine new flavours including pistachio and dark mint.

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These make the perfect Christmas gift and 200g packs are currently on offer at Tesco for £4.50 with a Clubcard, down from the usual price of £6.30 – so stock up while you can!

If you’re heading to Tesco, you may also want to pick up Christmas tubs of Celebrations or Heroes – £4.50 with a Clubcard at the moment.

These prices have been creeping up over the past few years, so it’s always worth getting them on offer if you can.

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What is autumn without a seasonal drink? Of course, you can head to Starbucks or Costa for their autumn ranges, but why not try Greggs to save a few pennies instead? Its Pumpkin spice latte is priced from £2.50 and hits the spot in the same way.

At home, I brew up my own coffee which always tastes better out of a favourite mug.

I really like the homeware at Flying Tiger, and B&M also has a good range which is affordable and stylish.

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If you fancy staying in to cook a meal, the Co-op’s new members Irresistible meal deal is great value.

Choose two mains, two sides and a bottle of wine from the range for £10.00, saving up to £10.95 on items bought individually.

HUNDREDS of thousands of Universal Credit claims were closed before being paid in the last year, The Sun can reveal.

Households across the country get a boost to their income from benefits, and over five million of those are on Universal Credit.

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A claim is made when an individual applies for Universal Credit.

This is the first step a person needs to take to receive the benefit.

But your claim could stumble at the first hurdle if you’re not clued up, so it pays to understand exactly what you’ll be asked.

A freedom of information (FOI) request by The Sun to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has found that tens of thousands of claims are being closed every month for a whole host of reasons.

This can include failing to attend an interview and having insufficient evidence to support your claim.

In total, between July 2023 and June 2024, a total of 896,000 claims were closed without a penny being paid.

Of these, 63,800 were closed because the claimant failed the habitual residence test.

The test is designed to stop someone who has a right to enter the UK from claiming social benefits immediately after their arrival.

A period of between one and three months is likely to indicate habitual residence, according to the charity Shelter.

In addition, almost 92,000 cases were closed without payment because the claimant had insufficient evidence.

This could include not having a valid UK passport, payslips dated within the last three months or your most recent P60.

These documents are important because the amount of Universal Credit you are entitled to depends on many factors surrounding your individual circumstances.

That might be how many hours you work, or how many children you have.

But failing to provide evidence of this can see your claim fail.

As many as 366,400 claims were closed because the claimant either failed to book an interview, or failed to attend it, didn’t accept their claimant commitment or book an interview for it.

Often, people applying for Universal Credit are are required to attend interviews and appointments with the Jobcentre.

This is because the DWP may need more information or they need to verify your identity in person.

These are held face to face or can be over the phone or via video chat.

Plus, you will need to go to a meeting to agree to your claimant commitment before getting your first payment, if you’re found to be eligible.

A claimant commitment is an agreement between you and the government outlining what you will do to get Universal Credit payments.

If you’re late, or miss, this interview, you could see your payments claim closed.

If you have a good reason why you can’t attend a meeting then you should let the Jobcentre know immediately.

But if you fail to turn up to a meeting you’ll likely have your case closed and you’ll have to apply again.

Ayla Ozmen, director of policy and campaigns at charity Z2K, told The Sun that applying for Universal Credit is often a complex process, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) “unnecessarily complicates it further”.

He said: “It’s particularly concerning to see that the DWP is refusing so many universal credit claims on procedural grounds, such as not providing the correct documents.

“We know that people struggle to meet all of the requirements of the claims process, often because of a disability or because they have difficulty using computers.

“This can lead to people missing out on vital income.

“The DWP should take steps to streamline and simplify the claims process.”

It’s important to bear in mind though, that of the 726,0000 Universal Credit claims made during the period, 2,710,000 were successful and resulted in a payment.

So, if you think you’re eligible for Universal Credit it’s vital that you apply, but just make sure you have all the information you need to give yourself the best chance of being successful.

A spokesperson for the DWP said: “We support millions of people every year through Universal Credit, and our priority is to make sure people get the support they are entitled to.

“That includes working with customers to ensure they feel confident and informed throughout the application process, and a free Help to Claim advice service is available to assist people with making their claim.”

How can I make sure my Universal Credit claim is successful?

To apply for Universal Credit, you have to go online and create an account.

Once you’ve created an account you must make a claim within 28 days otherwise you’ll have to start the process again.

If you live with your partner, you’ll both have to create accounts and you’ll join them together when you claim.

If you’re struggling to claim online you can use the Universal Credit helpline which is 0800 328 5644.

To apply online you’ll need your bank, building society or credit union account details.

On top of this, you’ll need an email address and access to a phone.

It may sound simple, but making sure that all these details are up to date will give you a better chance of having a successful application.

You should also make sure that you have the following documents to hand and that they are in date:

• driving licence
• passport
• debit or credit card
• payslip or P60

To complete the claim, you will need to provide information about:

• your housing, for example how much rent you pay
• your earnings, for example payslips
• your National Insurance number, if you have one
• other benefits you get
• any disability or health condition that affects your work
• how much you pay for childcare if you want help with childcare costs
• your savings and any investments, like shares or a property that you rent out

Everything you need to know about Universal Credit