Victoria hopes luck’s on cards

CYCLING golden girl Victoria Pendleton yesterday praised Lottery funding – and revealed she’s a secret Scratch Card fan.

The two-time Olympic champion joked: ‘I’m still waiting for the big win,” but added: “The Lottery has already been life-changing for me, from the grant it gave me to train full-time.”

Victoria, 39, was speaking at the unveiling in Manchester of artwork United By Numbers, right, by David Mach, which highlights some of the 565,000 people and organisations helped by £40billion worth of Lottery funding over 25 years. FOR nearly 25 years, the National Lottery has changed people’s lives across the nation.

Since it began on November 19, 1994, a whopping £71billion in prize money has been paid to UK winners.

Its games have created more than 5,500 millionaires and multi-millionaires.

In an average week, a millionaire is made every day.

Here winners whose lives were transformed forever answer the question everybody wants ask – what did you spend the cash on?

Adam and Amy Pryor used the money to help care for their seriously disabled daughter.

Ruth Doyle has rescued 15 dogs abandoned in Romania and Neil Jones has used the money to become a pool champion.

Lottery firm Camelot says cars are the most popular first purchase for winners, while for some their first thought is for others, with 17 per cent giving money to family and friends, or clearing their debts. While 15 per cent go shopping for new clothes or shoes, nine per cent go for consumer goods like iPads, laptops and televisions. Slightly more offbeat first purchases include a Hoover, a CD, a pair of slippers, a marriage licence, a rug, a lawn mower and a cheese grater. Another favourite buy is a new home – topping the list for 38 per cent of winners.

Just under three quarters of millionaires move. But 65 per cent stay in the same village or town.

Other winners often opt for the perfect holiday (seven per cent), jewellery (five per cent) or a holiday home and caravan/motorhome (four per cent).