Unlucky lotto player misses out on £1m prize
SOMEONE in the Valleys has missed their chance to be a millionaire.
A £1m ticket bought by a lottery player in the Merthyr Tydfil or Rhondda area back in February has missed out after the deadline to claim the fortune passed.
The ticket had been bought in the National Lottery’s Mega Week draw and included a ‘Dip into Paradise’ prize.
But where a would-be millionaire has missed out lottery-funded projects across the UK have won and the money, plus the interest it earned in the six months, will go to help schemes around the country.
Senior winners’ adviser at the National Lottery Andy Carter said, “Unfortunately I can confirm that the ticket-holder did not come forward within the deadline to claim their prize and has now sadly missed out on this amazing prize. To avoid this unfortunate situation happening again I would urge all National Lottery players to check their tickets on a regular basis.
“We tried very hard to find the ticket-holder and it’s a real shame that they have missed out but there is still one winner – the nation.
“This money, and all the interest earned over the 180 days, will now go to benefit projects all over the UK funded by the National Lottery.”
It comes after the August 2 deadline was not met by the lucky – or now unlucky – Valleys lottery player.
But the causes the money will help are vast and since 1994, £37bn has been raised to go towards National Lottery-funded projects across sectors including the arts, sports heritage, health and education. More than £30m is raised each week.
Recipients include Merthyr Youth, who benefited from £5,000 funding to run a time-banking project for young people aged 18-25 in the area.
And the Rhondda Community Development Association received £48,763 of National Lottery funding, which went towards the refurbishment of the auditorium as part of the improvements to the facilities at the Phoenix Theatre in Ton Pentre.