Birthdays prove lucky for lottery winners
Two students from Stainton scored a new tool for school after their parents won the Pride in Penrith Lottery Christmas special draw.
Andrew and Judith Mitchell scooped the £500 prize in December, and plan to spend it on a new computer to help their children with their school work. Aaron, 15, and his sister Caitlin, 14, are both students at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith.
“We joined the lottery when it first started in 2010, after we got a flier in the post,” Judith said. “We decided to take part because we felt that if we, local people, don’t help efforts to take pride in the area, then we can’t expect anyone else to.”
Andrew was born and bred in Stainton and Judith grew up in Penrith. Their determination to help their local community hasn’t gone unrewarded, with their numbers coming up trumps twice in 2014. They were surprised to find a cheque for £20 in the post in August after matching three numbers, followed on by their win in the special draw, which was one of four held by the lottery last year.
The couple chose their lucky numbers based on the family’s dates of birth.
“We gave out around £8,000 in prizes in 2014,” said lottery chairman Rob Udale. “Our members can win up to £5,000 in our weekly jackpot draw as well as the chance to bag £500 in our special draws throughout the year. As Judith and Andrew have shown, it really is worth a flutter, and you’ll also be helping your community, as all our proceeds are given out as grants to local good causes.”