Journalists are used to knocking on doors following bad news, but at People’s Postcode Lottery former tabloid editor Alan Muir and his team deliver only good news in a job he describes as “life-affirming” after four decades in journalism.
Muir, who spent 30 years at the Scottish Sun, working his way up from reporter to editor, now heads up Postcode Lottery’s winners’ stories team, going out on the road himself to knock on doors and give people the news of their win – sometimes a share of a million pounds.
Muir said he and his team, consisting of communications officer Pamela Stirling and news reporter Craig Stewart, operate “exactly like a newsroom”, interviewing winners and writing up their stories for publication (if they agree to publicity) in the local and national press.
Muir’s role as PPL’s news content editor is reminiscent of his first journalism job on the Ayr Advertiser in the 1980s. “It’s turning the clock back 40-odd years for me to being a junior reporter knocking a door – there’s no difference at all,” he said.
“It’s what I always loved to do… every single week is different.”
‘Heartening’ to go out and speak to people
With new winners announced daily, there are also tight deadlines to turn stories around. And there’s plenty of shoe-leather journalism to be done. Last year, Muir’s team covered 120,000 miles to reach winners at their homes across Great Britain.
Despite having always ruled out a role in PR or comms as joining the “dark side”, Muir said: “Working here has been life-affirming. I know that sounds a wee bit cheesy, but actually it has been.” And his role often sees him literally dancing in the street on social media.
He said it was “heartening” to work somewhere that sends people out to get stories, noting changing practices in the news industry that leave young journalists “quite often sitting behind a desk” and, more often than not, conducting interviews over email.
“We work for an organisation which actually puts the funds behind going out and speaking to people and getting their stories,” he said.
“Yes, it’s through the prism of People’s Postcode Lottery, but there are tremendous stories out there. You’re knocking the door of a stranger and you’re getting a little peek into their life.”
‘The ethos at People’s Postcode Lottery is all pure journalism’
Recent newsworthy items include a winner who pledged money towards a charity for adults with learning disabilities after their only minibus was stolen and set on fire.
“I strongly believe that any journalist who landed this gig would be proud to do it,” Muir said of his role, which he took up after a stint as a journalism college lecturer. “It embraces all the skills. If you’ve got shorthand for example, it’s really handy on the street.”
And in the two years he’s been in the role, Muir’s implemented his own high editorial standards, ensuring that press releases have “proper headlines on them” with sub-decks and picture captions, while copy is written in a “tight, tabloid style to make it punchy”.
“The processes, the skills and the ethos is all pure journalism,” he added. “Great stories always sell – and that’s what we’re aiming for every week.”
The organisation’s affinity with journalism runs deep. The first Postcode Lottery was established in the Netherlands in 1989 and among its four founders were those who had experience working as journalists. They set it up with the goal of raising money to support charities and initiatives working for a healthier, fairer and greener world.
People’s Postcode Lottery was founded in 2005 in Great Britain, raising a total of £1.5bn for charity over the 20 years since. It has millions of players who each pay a monthly subscription that automatically enters them into the prize draws, for which their postcode is their ticket.
The estimated total prize pot to be shared by People’s Postcode Lottery winners in 2025 is £280,780,000, while a minimum of 30% of every ticket – some £20m a month in Great Britain – goes towards the various charities the lottery supports, among them the Thomson Reuters Foundation (a charity which promotes free and independent media around the world).
This year People’s Postcode Lottery is also supporting the British Journalism Awards by sponsoring the prestigious news provider of the year category (see shortlist here).
‘Honour’ to support British Journalism Awards
Aside from the organisation’s “symbiotic” relationship with the press in getting news of its winners and good causes out there – and its personal connections, with staff often coming from a journalistic background – supporting free expression is part of Postcode Lottery’s wider mission.
David Miller, People’s Postcode Lottery’s director of communications for the UK and North America, himself a former BBC News journalist, said: “We’re all really invested in journalism and the organisation as a whole internationally believes that we can’t build a stronger civil society, which is our core goal, without a strong and healthy media landscape.
“Fundamentally we all still care about the industry and we’re in the fortunate position that we can support an event like the British Journalism Awards. We’re looking forward to being in the room as people celebrate some incredible journalistic work from the course of the last 12 months. Work that continues despite the challenges the industry’s facing.”
The long-term funding raised by the players of Postcode Lotteries can be used by supported charities as they see fit and without restriction – a key aspect of owner Postcode Lottery Group’s mission statement. The relationships the organisation builds with its supported charities over time allows them to plan and deliver long-term projects.
In total, the non-profit group has raised more than €15bn for charities and good causes and has 15 million players across five nations: the Netherlands, UK, Sweden, Germany and Norway.
It is the third-largest private donor globally, following the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust (2021). It has offices in Edinburgh and London.
The British Journalism Awards will be held on Thursday, 11 December 2025.
Find out more about the People’s Postcode Lottery.
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