The Lotto is 30 years old today
The Lotto is 30 years old today
It has been exactly 30 years since the first Lotto draw was broadcast, and in that time some of the UK’s biggest winners have been right here in Merseyside.
Since the first draw was held on November 19 1994, the National Lottery has raised over £49 billion for good causes and awarded over 690,000 individual grants to projects and organisations. And that’s not to mention all the lucky winners it has made over the years.
Winning the lottery would be a dream for many people. There’s so much you can do with a life-changing amount of cash, whether you quit your job and splash the cash or put it away for a rainy day.
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But for some, that dream has become a reality. The ECHO previously reported that Freddy Powell, from Crosby, was the first winner from Merseyside when he scooped £1.35m in April 1995.
In April 1996, Mark English from West Derby won £4.2m when he gave up his jobs as a part-time steward at Liverpool FC and factory worker at Stoves in Prescot. But it was Mossley Hill carpenter David Ashcroft who became the region’s biggest winner, having scooped a £12.3m jackpot back in 1997.
And the winners have continued throughout the years. Below are some of the biggest winners in our region.
Ben and Leanne Woods, £2.4M, on Lotto, in 2004, from Wirral
Ben Woods, from Rock Ferry, scooped £2,485,736, with a lucky dip ticket his mum bought him in 2004 aged 23. After a few years spent travelling abroad, the former Merseyrail worker settled down “to a normal life” just three miles up the road from his family home.
Mystery winner
A Mystery Lotto winner, known only as Mr A from Merseyside, became a millionaire without ever touching a ticket. The lucky winner was one of two jackpot winners in the draw and banked a staggering £1,942,659.
Tony Dodd, £2.4M Lotto, 2007, from Wirral
Tony Dodd from Wirral won the £2.4m Lotto jackpot when he was 67. He celebrated by getting a knee replacement operation.
Emma Cartwright, £6.5M part of syndicate on EuroMillions in 2009
In 2009, a seven-person syndicate scooped £45,570,835.50. The winners, dubbed the Magnificent Seven, all worked for Hewlett Packard carrying out IT work at a BT office in Liverpool.
The syndicate included John Walsh, 57, James Bennett, 28, Sean Connor, 32, Alex Parry, 19, Emma Cartwright, 23, Ceri Scullion, 35 and Donna Rhodes, 39, who pocketed £6.5 million each.
George and Beryl Keates, £3.5M on Lotto, in 2012, from Southport
George and Beryl Keates from Southport scooped a National Lottery jackpot of more than £3.5m on their 10th attempt at the lucky draw back in 2012.
Kirkby workers
A group of ten A4e workers in Kirkby scooped £28m between them in a EuroMillions draw in July 2013. Bosses then had to frantically try and find replacements afterwards as they all quit their jobs immediately.
Jason and Kelly Massey, £1M on EuroMillions, in 2013, from Runcorn
Kelly married her long-term partner Jason after dreaming of a lavish wedding. She also left her job as a cabin crew worker for easyJet.
Julie Phillips, part of a syndicate winning £1.7M on Lotto, from Warrington, in 2014
The syndicate of six, all former work colleagues and life-long Warrington Wolves rugby league fans, won a massive £1,758,997. But it wasn’t until one of the syndicate members checked their lottery ticket by chance that they learned of their newfound fortune.
Ruth Breen, £1M on EuroMillions in 2014, from Wigan
According to the Mirror, Ruth Breen was “scraping by” before her huge win. She “couldn’t believe her eyes” logging into her account.
John and Patricia Gill, £1M on EuroMillions on Christmas Day 2015 from Warrington
The Warrington dad bought a Christmas Day lottery ticket just an hour before the draw and scooped a £1m fortune. He initially thought he had only won £100.
Kevin and Michele Jones, £6M Lotto jackpot, 2016, from Crewe
The bus driver won £6.1m on the Lottery and went and bought two Everton season tickets. Mr Jones, from Crewe, discovered he had won while stuck in the morning rush hour in the cab of his bus.
Mal Duggan, £1M on Lotto, from Widnes in December 2023
Mal only found out he’d won £1m on the National Lottery when his dad called to tell him.
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