Lotto Lady Luck smiles on Shropshire's players
Are you feeling lucky? The answer for people in Shropshire and Mid Wales should be an emphatic 'yes!' after it made the top 10 luckiest regions in the UK.
The Shrewsbury, Shropshire and Mid Wales postcode area has been rated as the eighth luckiest place to live in Britain for lottery players, according to the detailed survey published by the National Lottery today.
Bournemouth is the luckiest place to live, with Falkirk and Stevenage following closely behind and Wolverhampton reaching the top 10.
Shropshire and Mid Wales' lofty position in the league table comes after all 121 postcode areas in the UK were assessed and results collated from lottery windfalls over the last two years.
The ranking relates to the number of prizes of £50,000 or more won per head of population during that time and it is the first study of its kind carried out by the lottery.
In the last two years, the SY and LD postcodes were in 11th place for the most millionaires created.
The SY postcode covers most of Shropshire, a small part of Cheshire and Mid Wales from the English border to the Cambrian coast, including Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Bishop's Castle and Church Stretton, Ellesmere, Whitchurch and Wem, and the LD postcode covers the rest of Mid Wales including Llandrindod Wells, Brecon and Knighton.
News of the area's lucky status was broadcast by 7ft 2in-tall Martin Wood, the world's tallest town crier, to shoppers in Shrewsbury's Old Market Place as special plaques were handed over in the county town.
National Lottery bosses even claimed today that the area was securing more winning tickets since Shrewsbury Town's promotion to League One last season. The plaque is on display at Shropshire Council's Shirehall offices.
Sue and James Schofield, of Rhoswiel, Weston Rhyn, near Oswestry, who won £1 million in January, were at the announcement, posing for photos and chatting to the public.
To date the SY and LD postcode areas boast 23 'Millionaires' Club' members and 151 prizes of £50,000 or more have been paid out.
The county's latest winner remains unnamed, but scooped £250,000 on a scratchcard at Shrewsbury's Asda store on Friday.
Lucky league: Lottery winners from Shropshire – and the ones who got away:
May 2013: an as-yet-unnamed couple won £250,000 on a scratchcard bought from Asda in Shrewsbury.
March 2013: Robin and Christine Kiddie, from Ludlow, scooped £6,299,421.
January 1, 2013: Sue and James Schofield, of Rhosweil won £1 million on the Euromillions raffle.
July 28, 2012: Two £55,000 winning tickets bought in south Shropshire one was claimed and another went to good causes.
December 2011: A £105,000 winning ticket was bought in Shropshire, but no further details were given out.
August 2010: A £60,000 prize, purchased in Telford, went unclaimed.
September 2008: David and Marina Williams, of Telford, scooped £968,792.
October 2007: QI Vans Systems syndicate shared a win of £85,072.
October 2007: Patrick Devitt, of Shrewsbury won a £53,693 prize.
March 2007: A syndicate from ABRO Donnington won £263,783.
November 2006: 33-strong Palethorpes Pie Factory syndicate from Market Drayton divided up £6,750,278.40.
November 2006: Adam Griffiths, of Ludlow won £250,000.
March 2006: Workers at Cap Gemini of Telford shared £66,153.
March 2006: Rhys Davies, of Clun, scratched a £100,000 win on a card
June 2005: Louise and Keith Gough, from Bridgnorth, won a £9,001,406 rollover prize on the lottery.
