2020 was the year of the National Lottery’s £800Million helping hand
In a year dominated by the impact of the coronavirus on communities across the UK, The National Lottery’s response to the crisis was truly wide reaching.
Thanks to National Lottery players and the £30Million raised each week for good causes, an extraordinary £800Million of funding was targeted directly at charities and organisations affected by the pandemic. As well as supporting food banks, groups combating loneliness and isolation and those supporting the elderly and veterans, there was much needed help for organisations in the arts, heritage and sport.
The heroic efforts of some of those who made a difference in 2020 was celebrated in November by The National Lottery Awards. This year’s Awards recognised the work of people like Wasem Said, the founder of Cardiff’s Tiger Bay Amateur Boxing Club, who organised a team of young volunteers to distribute food to vulnerable, shielding families.
Further recognition of people at National Lottery-funded projects who worked tirelessly during the pandemic came when 8 outstanding volunteers from the heritage sector had their pictures projected onto Stonehenge. Meanwhile, 6 iconic sporting venues were renamed for the day in honour of unsung grassroots sports volunteers.
There were plenty of big winners in 2020: a total of more than £4 billion was paid out in prizes and 817 lucky players won prizes of more than £50,000. Of the big winners, an astonishing 391 were worth £1Million or more, meaning there was at least a new millionaire made every day.
Ryan Hoyle (see main image), a joiner from Rochdale, scored a staggering £58,366,487 EuroMillions jackpot in April. He was one of 4 EuroMillions jackpot winners from the UK in 2020. Another was Anthony Canty, a key worker, who won a £1Million jackpot in May.
In December, almost 2 years on from her win, Frances Connolly revealed she had given away around £60Million of her and her husband’s £114Million EuroMillions jackpot. Frances, who wrote a list of 50 families to help immediately after she won said, “I have had more joy from changing lives than buying jewellery.”
Analysis of all the 2020 winners reveals that key workers were among the people most likely to win a jackpot. Those working in engineering and manufacturing represented the largest group of winners and drivers – bus, taxi and delivery – were in second place along with people working in the administrative and secretarial sector.
The third group of ‘luckiest’ players were care and social workers, charity workers and retail workers. Builders were the fourth ‘luckiest’ players and teachers were fifth.
Andy Carter, Senior Winners’ Advisor at The National Lottery said, “This year has been one where the role of The National Lottery helping projects and communities all over the country has been even more crucial than usual. Let’s hope 2021 gets off to a better start for everyone.”
31st December 2020
The National Lottery has been changing the lives of winners and supporting good causes across the UK since 1994. In that time, there have been more than 7,400 new millionaires created and by playing The National Lottery you raise over £4 million for Good Causes every dayΔ.
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