Looking back on the National Lottery: the Cumbrian winners

A total of £92bn in prizes has been awarded to players since the lottery was launched in 1994.

Camelot’s licence ended last Wednesday, and Allwyn will oversee the draw for the next 10 years.

To mark the milestone, we’ve been looking back at some of the Cumbrian beneficiaries of the national game.

In 2015, Robert Bruce, 85, from Penrith won £727,308 on the Lotto arm of the National Lottery.

He is pictured celebrating with a glass of champagne.

The year before, Kelly Armstrong, from Distington, won £300,000 on a National Lottery Scratchcard, and is shown celebrating with her fiance Richard Dunn.

Of course, for every individual winner there have been multiple good causes that the lottery has benefited.

One of these was Cumbria CVS, in Penrith, which was awarded £1m.

Another was Bigrigg Over 60s Club, which held a party for the Queen’s 90th birthday in 2016 after receiving a grant of £1,000.

Many local children have reaped the game’s rewards over the years, with lottery funding going towards new play equipment at Raughton Head School.

In 2016, Calderwood House, in Egremont, scooped £39,797 from The People’s Project fund supported by the National Lottery.

The picture shows staff and centre users celebrating the windfall.

Among the other winners that same year was The Dales Care Home at Ellenborough, Maryport, which benefited from a share of £1.3m of Big Lottery funding.

The money was to upgrade the outdoor space as part of a pioneering project through the charity Learning through Landscapes.

Wild Heart Beat drumming group from Denton Holme, Carlisle, was awarded a grant of over £2,700.

The final picture shows Stephen Martin and Billy Bone at Brunton Park Post Office ahead of the very first National Lottery draw.