Winners toast billion pound lottery milestone

It is a gamble that has paid off for hundreds in spectacular style in Yorkshire, with the region’s Lottery-made millionaires having now shared just over £1billion since the game began.
orkshire Lottery winners celebrate the 4,000th lottery millionaire.  l to r.Graham and Amanda Nield from Wakefield, Rob and Elaine Leason from Driffield and  Michael and Susan Crossland from Mirfield. (GL1007/47a)orkshire Lottery winners celebrate the 4,000th lottery millionaire.  l to r.Graham and Amanda Nield from Wakefield, Rob and Elaine Leason from Driffield and  Michael and Susan Crossland from Mirfield. (GL1007/47a)
orkshire Lottery winners celebrate the 4,000th lottery millionaire. l to r.Graham and Amanda Nield from Wakefield, Rob and Elaine Leason from Driffield and Michael and Susan Crossland from Mirfield. (GL1007/47a)

Six matching numbers have been enough to substantially alter the lives of 386 individuals in Yorkshire who have been made millionaires by playing the National Lottery and some of those winners celebrated that landmark, as well as a national milestone last week.

Among the winners celebrating were Michael and Susan Crossland from Mirfield who, in 2008, almost missed the six numbers which scooped them £1,218,618 because they were celebrating winning £74 on three other lines on their Lotto card.

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When asked about what the couple did on the Monday after their big win, Mrs Crossland said: ‘He went to work and I went to Netto’s’.

Michael and Susan Crossland.Michael and Susan Crossland.
Michael and Susan Crossland.

But, back in 2008, she said she burst into tears when she described how she believesd a shower of white feathers a week before the win was a “gift” from her late father predicting something good was going to happen to her.

Mr Crossland said his wife began to find white feathers all over the place leading up to their big win.

Also celebrating were Graham, 58, and Amanda Nield, 50, who moved to Wakefield from Dewsbury after claiming £6.6m in August 2013.

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Mr Nield only checked his Lottery ticket the day after the draw and described Amanda’s reaction as “like a sky rocket going off ”.

He had double cause for celebration soon after his number came up, with the win prompting him to propose to Amanda the very same day and to later build a house which allowed for his new fiance’s father, who has Alzheimer’s, to live with them.

“Winning has changed my life immensely,” Mr Nield said.

“We were renting at the time and Amanda’s dad was poorly with Alzheimer’s and at the weekend we were due to move in with him.

“Now there is no stress and no financial worries. We’ve built the home I’ve always dreamed of, we’ve looked after our five kids and are able to look after Amanda’s dad full-time.”

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Records show that 4,000 winners have joined the lucky Lottery millionaires club since 1994, sharing a £11.5 billion prize pot – with an average of six new millionaires created every week, and to celebrate a ‘Millionaire Champagne spray off ’ was staged in Roundhay Park.

The couples were joined by Elaine and Rob Leason, from Driffield, who won £1.4m each in 2005 as part of an £18.2m tesco syndicate. the winning ticket belonging to the 11 members.

Eighty-five per cent cent of jackpot winners choose to remain anonymous.

The average winner buys four new cars for either themselves or friends and family, while 10 per cent buy more than 10.

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The most unusual purchases in among lottery winners include: A pair of new hips ‘for the wife’, a narrowboat, Tarantulas, a firework company and next door’s house, before turning it into a pub.

Defying the odds of 350 billion to one, a family from the, West Midlands, has had three separate jackpot wins, with a total value of £3.25 million.ss