A FARMER has who has won £30,000 plans to spend his winnings on fertilising his fields.

Bob Atkinson and his wife Margaret, from Padiham, found out they were winners of the People’s Postcode Lottery after their BB12 postcode was drawn.

The pair have now said that they plan to use their £30,000 windfall to buy fertiliser for the 100 acres of land that their livestock reside on.

When People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Judie McCourt revealed the prize, Bob was left lost for words.

Margaret said: "Oh lovely! Great. Wow, that's a lot."

Bob’s thoughts immediately turned to how he plans to spend his winnings. He said: "We need some fertiliser for spring and that's gone up to nearly £1,000 a tonne. So that's one of the first things we'll need to buy.”

Bob went on to speak about the concerns around growing enough grass for their livestock this year: “We were thinking we might have to manage without the fertiliser. It would have been a bit of a worry whether we could get enough grass without it.

“But with this bit of help, we’ll probably be able to buy some.”

The grass grown will serve to support Bob’s livestock. He said: “The area of grass we cut is around 100 acres. We need it to keep these animals going. We have about 50 cattle, 150 sheep at the moment and a number of horses on livery.”

He added: “That’s our life, that’s what we do.”

Bob has been in the farming business all his life. He was brought up on the farm next door before moving to his farm with Margaret over fifty years ago.

People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Judie McCourt presented Bob with his cheque and shared her congratulations. She said: “I’m delighted for Bob and Margaret today. It was amazing to get a glimpse of the life they lead on the farm. I hope they enjoy spending the win and treat themselves to something special on top of their fertiliser!”

People’s Postcode Lottery costs £10 a month to play and there are guaranteed winners every day. People play with their chosen postcode and are automatically entered into all draws.