Gail Bell
ONE lucky person is set to have an extra-special Christmas after winning nearly £1.8 million with a lottery ticket bought in the Newry area.
Camelot announced yesterday that after three weeks, and a widespread public appeal, the holder of the winning ticket had come forward to claim the jackpot prize of £1,796,081. The draw took place on November 29, but the prize lay unclaimed despite a call for people to check their purses and wallets for what could be their ticket to a Christmas bonanza.
The mystery winner had until May next year to claim their prize before it became invalid.
A Camelot spokesman said yesterday he was "delighted" that the winner had come forward at this festive time. "We hope they will enjoy their win," he said. "It would have been awful if the ticket-holder had missed out on this substantial and life-changing amount of money. "We would like to remind all National Lottery players to check their tickets every time they play."
When no-one comes forward with a winning ticket before the deadline, the prize money, plus all interest accrued in the intervening weeks, goes towards lottery-funded projects across the UK.
Northern Ireland lottery players have been enjoyed a winning streak recently, with Newtownabbey woman Mary Hamilton picking up £12.9m on the Euromillions draw last month and Lauren McLarnon - also from Newtownabbey - winning £100,000 on a scratch card.