On the Scottish island of North Uist, which lies almost as close to Iceland as it does to London, no one really likes change. With its empty, golden beaches, non-existent crime and friendly ways, locals love life just as it is.
“It’s like the Bahamas here,” says fisherman Donald MacDonald. “But without the heat.”
So what happened when 101 islanders, who feel they have everything they need, won a share of a £3million Postcode Lottery jackpot in January last year?
A new Channel 4 documentary sets out to show how the windfall affected their lives, and in the end presents a life-affirming tonic by introducing people who prioritise family, friends and practical things over money.
It shows exactly why that, not hard cash, makes North Uist the richest postcode in Britain.
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Duncan Campbell, an 83-year-old peat cutter who likes to make do and mend, won £21,000 and treated himself to a new plastic wheelbarrow.
What will he do with his rickety old wheelbarrow, which is bashed, patched, rusty and has wonky handles and a buckled wheel? “I think I’ll try to sell it.”
Duncan hit the hardware store and in a £149 spree bought the barrow, a pedal bin and a non-stick frying pan because his old one had a hump in the middle.
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Weeks later, with help from a web-savvy friend, he ordered a £350 reclining chair “which swivels, rocks, is good for a snooze and has two cup holders”.
Each evening, after a day’s hard graft manually cutting peat and cycling home, he lies back on his chair in front of his roaring fire.
On the mantelpiece, tucked behind the clock, is the presentation copy of his lottery cheque.
The winnings weren’t shared equally among the 1,500 population as only those paid up to play the Postcode Lottery lucked out.
Most pocketed a tidy £21,000, which is more than most islanders’ annual salary. Others, who matched the exact winning postcode, got much more.
Pamela Macaskill, 44, juggled three jobs in a post office, holiday home and art gallery when she scooped £193,055 and became the island’s joint biggest winner.
She and husband Angus, a brickie and crofter, consider treating themselves and their two teenage daughters to a holiday but where? “Inverness,” says Angus.
The couple, both born and bred on North Uist, struggle with the happy dilemma of how to make a dent in their surprise fortune.
“We are not materialistic,” says Pamela. “If you have never had much money there is a massive reluctance, on my part, to spend it.”
They know for sure how not to spend it. Moving to a swanky mainland place is out of the question.
“I’ve got nothing but good memories growing up here,” says Pamela. “No crime. Freedom.
“Everyone knows everyone and if something really good happens, or really bad happens, people will celebrate with you or pick you up again. Honestly, it’s phenomenal.”
Eventually they splash out on an inflatable paddling pool and Pamela’s first mobile phone.
“I don’t use it to make calls. To be honest, there’s not much of a signal around here. Just give me a landline any day.”
After five months and much dithering, they buy the only flash purchase in the rural idyll: a BMW.
“We just kinda thought, ‘Sod it, let’s buy a new car’. So we did,” says Pamela.
“It’s all buttony and touch screens and stuff. But I’m going to be honest – it feels absolutely no different to driving my old Vauxhall.
“If I can sit in it and turn a key in it and it goes, then that’s fab.”
Lobster fisherman Donald MacDonald has spent 37 years battling the rugged north western seas, but the run-up to last January’s win was particularly tough.
He says: “I was scunnered with the weather – I’d never seen it so bad. Storm after storm and when it affects your livelihood it feels even worse.
"Everyone says fishermen are so rich. I’d like to swap my bank balance with anyone,” he says, “Although maybe not now it’s been boosted.”
Donald, whose faithful Jack Russell, Poppy, only responds to Gaelic commands, knew exactly how he’d spend some of his £64,000 a £5,000 dinghy.
“On the islands, there’s more practical things to do with money rather than blow it on cars or holidays. You spend it on something you need.”
Fish farmer and crofter Attar Johnson gave most of his £42,850 to his 24-year-old daughter Eilidh, who is a teacher in Glasgow.
The £30,000 gift is to help get her on the property ladder, though he doesn’t really want Eilidh to put down roots in the city.
Attar says: “As she grew older she wanted the bright lights of Glasgow.
“She’s the first in the Johnson family to get a degree and we’re very proud of that. But there’s not an awful lot of jobs on the island for graduates.
"A lot of them want to see city life, but get their fill of it and want to come home. We’re living in hope Eilidh wants to do the same.”
Retired teacher Annie MacDonald, who won £21,000, buys what she’s spent 14 years longing for: a new cattle grid to stop wandering sheep from eating the plants in her garden.
It’s taken all her powers of persuasion to convince her husband Alastair to fork out to replace the old bent one.
“It hadn’t actually collapsed, so Alastair didn’t think it was worthwhile getting a new one,” says Annie.
“But it was really, really dangerous and a lot of people were reluctant to go over it – including me.”
Peter Johnson, 24, bucked the trend and went a bit mad on Amazon with his £21,000 win.
“I bought a table-top dishwasher because I’m not a fan of washing up. And an electric heater.
“Then I bought a bread maker because hopefully I can make really nice sandwiches. And I love toast.”
- The Scottish Island that Won the Lottery, Channel 4, Saturday at 8pm.
