Someone in Bolton won a whopping £1 million on the EuroMillions back in November, and still and hasn’t claimed the money yet.
Believe it or not, there’s a mystery millionaire knocking around Greater Manchester right now.
For anyone who regularly plays the lottery, or likes to grab themself a ticket every now and then when they’re feeling particularly lucky, it may seem absolutely wild to think that someone could have bought a EuroMillions ticket more than four months ago now, and hasn’t even realised that their lives could have potentially changed forever.
Even more shocking still, not only do they not realise they’ve won, they still haven’t claimed their winnings either, so the money is just lying there unclaimed as we speak.
But that’s exactly the case for one lucky Bolton resident.
According to The National Lottery, there was a whopping 10 cash prizes still unclaimed at the start of the 2024, and now, another handful have been added to that list – with a total of six £1 million unclaimed tickets from as early as September last year.
Doncaster, Northumberland, Redditch, and Camden are just a few of the other UK areas where unclaimed lottery tickets have been purchased over the last couple of months.
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Not only that, as well as the £1m lucky Bolton winner, someone from Manchester has also bagged themselves a life-changing win in the ‘Set For Life’ draw, which means they’ll be taking home £10,000 every month for a whole year.
And, to make matters even more urgent, if the National Lottery does not receive a valid claim for these tickets within 180 days of he draw date, the prize cannot be claimed.
Someone in Bolton has won £1m on the EuroMillions and still hasn’t claimed the money / Credit: Pxhere
Any interest on the winnings will also go towards National Lottery Projects across the UK.
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The £1 million-winning ticket in Bolton was part of the 3 November 2023 EuroMillions draw – with the draw number being 1682 – which means the winner has until 1 March 2024 to claim their winnings, while the Manchester ‘Set For Life’ ticket was drawn on 5 February 2024, leaving those winners until 3 August 2024 to claim the money that’ll make a real difference to their lives.
To find out the winning numbers for both the EuroMillions and ‘Set For Life’ draws, head to the Unclaimed Prizes section of the National Lottery website here.
It could, genuinely, be your lucky day.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
News
‘Unsettled week’ of wind, rain, and snow could greet Mancs into the new year
Thomas Melia
A mix of weather conditions could be expected to hit the north across the new year weekend – including wind, rain, and snow.
As Greater Manchester prepares to enter 2025, it looks like we’ll be bringing our usual moody weather along with us too, as starting today and running right through until the end of this week, Mancs can expect some not-so-pleasant conditions to accompany this party season.
The Met Office has described this period as ‘an unsettled week’.
While forecasters are encouraging people to keep checking for further weather updates where possible, thankfully, this turbulent spell of weather is only predicted to stick around until Thursday (2 January) – with no warnings issued for this Friday (3 January) or the weekend so far.
As we move from 2024 to 2025 the week ahead will involve plenty of rain, wind and some snow
If you have any plans over the New Year/Hogmanay period then check out all the important weather details below ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/qllOnV0cDX
In a video shared to the Met Office’s X account, the visual shows that the most severe cases of wet and windy conditions look like on New Year’s Day itself (Wednesday 1 January), where there is even some snow forecasted for certain areas.
“Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week,” warned Andy Page, who is the Chief Forecaster at the Met Office.
He continued: “With lots of celebrations and people on the move over the coming days, we are urging everyone to keep checking the forecast so they can update their plans.”
Picturesque Greater Manchester railway granted £1.3m to restore historic viaduct
Emily Sergeant
One of Greater Manchester’s most picturesque railways has been given substantial funding to restore a historic viaduct along the line.
As part of the Government‘s wider Plan for Change, the Bury-based heritage railway, East Lancashire Railway (ELR), has been awarded more than £1.3 million in grants to carry out urgent repair work to the Higher Woodhill Viaduct – which is on the edge of Burrs Country Park, in the heart of the stunning Irwell Valley.
Repairs to the historic viaduct, which goes past the site of the former Higher Woodhill Mill, were last carried out all the way back in 1932.
But now, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has granted the funding for restoration through its ‘Community Ownership Fund’, alongside three local authorities from Bury, Rochdale, and the nearby Rossendale in Lancashire, all putting in a further £276,000 in match funding.
We’re supporting local treasures across the UK with vital funding
— Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Gov (@mhclg) December 23, 2024
Important supporters of the railway, such as members of the public and local businesses, have also added a few thousand pounds more to the project.
While inspections to the structure and safety of the viaduct are carried out on a regular basis, ELR assures, it was flagged earlier in 2024 that long-term repairs would be required to allow for the “continued level of use” of steam and heritage diesel trains along the line.
Speaking on the funding being granted, Mike Kelly, who is the Chairman of East Lancashire Railway, commented: “This is a major investment for the future and a massive vote of confidence for our dedicated volunteers and staff to help secure the railway’s infrastructure for years to come.
“Now with this fantastic news, we are able to continue running our award-winning events and services without disruption for future generations to enjoy, thanks to the generosity and support of the East Lancashire Railway Trust, our local community partners and supporters, as well as local and national politicians.”
Essential maintenance works are due to start next year in the spring.
Emily Sergeant -
12th March 2024 
