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
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North West water bills to see the biggest average increase of anywhere in the country in 2026
Emily Sergeant
Water bills in the North West are set to see the biggest increase in 2026 on average.
It has been announced that household water bills in England and Wales will rise by an average of 5.4% overall – which works out to around £33 a year, or approximately £2.70 per month – from April, which is said to be two percentage points above December’s official inflation figure… but when you look closer at the North West, that percentage rises from 5.4% to 9%.
The average United Utilities water bill is set to sit at £660 annually in 2026-27, with that being an increase of £57 from the previous year – the largest increase of anywhere else in the country.
Water UK says the nationwide rise in bills reflects the ‘significant investment’ being put towards upgrading water infrastructure.
More than two million households currently receive help with their water bills. An extra 300,000 households are expected to receive support in 2026-27. Find out more: https://t.co/DSDpAmawX8pic.twitter.com/N2LFpjxEQE
Water companies are said to be currently in the process of delivering a £104 billion investment programme to secure the nation’s water supplies, support economic growth, and end sewage entering our rivers and seas.
The money raised by water bills can only be used to fund infrastructure that is independently determined to be ‘new, necessary, and value for money’.
The regulator says United Utilities will begin a £3 billion upgrade in 2026 of the 110 km Haweswater Aqueduct, which carries 570 million litres of water every day to 2.5 million people in Cumbria, Lancashire, and Greater Manchester (or nearly 5% of England’s population), hence water bills increasing at a higher rate to other areas.
North West water bills are set to see the biggest average increase in 2026 / Credit: Raibeart MacAoidh (via Geograph)
“We understand increasing bills is never welcome, but the money is needed to fund vital upgrades to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas,” explained David Henderson, who is the Chief Executive at Water UK.
“While we urgently need investment in our water and sewage infrastructure, we know that for many this increase will be difficult.
“That is why we will help around 2.5 million households – more than ever before – with average discounts of around 40% off their water bill.”
More than two million households currently receive help with their bills through social tariffs, the WaterSure scheme, and other affordability measures, and an extra 300,000 households are expected to receive support in 2026-27, taking the total number to around 2.5 million.
Those who are struggling should contact their water company to see what help is available, as support can often be tailored to individual circumstances.
Featured Image – Sora Shimazaki (via Pexels)
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Deansgate bar Simmons closes just over a year after opening
Danny Jones
London-born bar brand Simmons has closed their Manchester site just over a year after opening their first Northern location.
They’ve lasted roughly 15 months on one of our busiest nightlife strips.
Opening on Deansgate back in October 2024, Simmons Manchester wasn’t just their first foray here up in this half of the country but their only other venue outside of the capital.
An otherwise well-established and popular chain down south, they have a total of 15 different bars in central London, but things clearly haven’t quite taken off as planned here in Manchester.
Placing a poster in the unit’s shopfront besides the likes of Be At One, Yours, The Moon Under The Water Spoons and the Deansgate branch of Slug and Lettuce, as you can see, the fellow franchise founded over a decade ago said: “After much consideration, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our doors.
“It’s never easy to say goodbye”, they add, “We’re incredibly proud of what the team built here and so grateful to them, as well as everyone who joined us over the past year.
“We’ve had some unforgettable nights. We love Manchester, and we hope to be back under the right conditions.”
They go on to thank everyone for being “part of the journey”, but for now, it looks like the room has closed effective immediately.
Simmons started back in 2012 when founder Nick Campbell opened the first bar below his flat in Kings Cross, and their presence has grown hugely since then. The closing sign was spotted and shared on social media earlier this week.
Offering everything from stylish cocktails to New York-style pizza, live music and even private karaoke booths, the place had plenty going on.
With rising business rates, energy bills and more dovetailing with the continuing cost of living crisis that is still hampering both hospitality and the nightime economy, they are just one of many to unfortunately close their doors of late.
For instance, it was only earlier this month that we saw multiple well-known names shut up shop here in the city centre or elsewhere in Greater Manchester, including another long-standing late-night favourite, Revolution.
It’s a shame for any business to close, and we certainly hope they’ll return someday with a model that can be sustained in the current climate.
Emily Sergeant -
12th March 2024 
