These people are probably the luckiest people in Britain. Meet the winners of the National Lottery draws over the last 25 years. They were recently brought together to celebrate the success and growth of the UK National Lottery. So where did they spend their winnings?

1995: Elaine Thompson, 63, of Killingworth, Tyne and Wear, won £2,704,666

Elaine and Derek now live in their own big house and enjoy life. Winning the lottery has helped them to cope with a lot of financial pressures, provide for their children and experience the joys of all sorts of entertainment previously unavailable to ordinary Brits.

1996: Deana Sampson, 58, of Sheffield, South Yorks, won £5,439,681

Deanna has two children and two grandchildren. The news of her lottery winnings came as a shock – at the time, Deanna was going through a difficult time in her life. She only had £3.60 in her bank account. The winner bought a bungalow for her parents, spent the money on a luxury trip to Jamaica for her 22 relatives and bought a £800,000 yacht for her 40th birthday.

1997: Cheryl Brudenell, 52, of Stockton-on-Tees, won £916,915

She has two children and lives with husband Mark, 54.

“The Lottery win has allowed me to indulge in my passion for Robbie Williams, but I’ve never totted up how much it has cost to see him around 40 times in concert, in places as far flung as Barcelona, Vegas, Berlin and Belgium.

1998: Viv Moss, 68, of Newquay, Cornwall, won £6,048,499

Viv was so shocked by the news of winning the lottery that she suffered from severe sickness and diarrhoea. Before winning, she taught hair and beauty at a local college. Together with her husband Kevin, Viv decided to move to a new home and purchase a new Range Rover.

1999: Sam Lange, 47, from Seaford, won £1,575,878

Sam lives with his partner Malcolm and is raising three children and one adopted son.

“When I won the Lottery, I had been saving £50 a week to go and see my dad in New Zealand, after four years apart. We were raising my partner’s son and I was working weekends while Malcolm worked shifts. We were suddenly able to visit Dad for a month and take him to places he’d never dreamed like flying up a mountain and swimming with dolphins.

Thanks to their big winnings, the couple could afford to quit their jobs, build a house in France and visit lots of interesting places around the world.

2000: Ray Wragg, 81, from Sheffield, won £7,649,520.

Sadly, Ray’s wife, with whom he shared the big winnings, died last year. He now lives in the bungalow the couple purchased after receiving the money. As soon as Ray found out about the winnings, he immediately called his boss and told him to quit his job. 

“I had never been out of the country when we won the Lottery, and I didn’t even own a passport. My wife Barbara didn’t like flying, so we’d been on holiday to Torquay for 31 years on the trot. After winning, we decided to try a cruise and we loved it. We bought a Range Rover, and filled it with Easter Eggs for the local kids from a school in Sheffield, and paid for them to have a holiday at a farm.

2001: Tom Naylor, 64, from Wheaton Aston, Staffs, won £15 528 286

Unlike the rest of us, Tom knew he had been lucky all his life. He hoped to win the lottery one day and that day came – the man was able to collect a jackpot of more than £15.5 million!

“My biggest extravagance was flying nine family members to New York via Concorde. It cost £25,000 and when we saw three giant white stretch limos waiting for us outside the airport it was an incredible moment. When we arrived at the hotel, all the tourists pulled their cameras out because they thought we were famous. I felt ten feet tall.”

2002: Sarah Ibbetson, 41, from Leeds, won £3,013,767

Sarah now lives with her husband and three children. Before entering the lottery, she worked as a nurse and is raising her 6-month-old daughter Alice. She was 24 when she won the lottery. Immediately after winning the jackpot, Sarah and her husband bought a Mercedes and a Porsche.

“We went into the car showroom, and when the guy asked how we’d pay, and we said debit card, his face was a picture. We made it onto the Sunday Times Rich List, and we’ve still got a copy, with our name at the bottom. We went from a three-bed semi to a five-bed detached, and started our own number plate business which we ran together in our office.”

2003: Trish Emson, 49, from Rotherham, won £1,747,728

For Trish, winning the Lottery was a double-win – she and her husband couldn’t have children for a long time, but not long after the news of the lottery, she found out she was pregnant. The greatest gift for her was the chance to travel to Lapland so her son Benjamin could see Santa.

2004: Ben Woods, 38 from Liverpool, won £2,485,736

Ben was working as a railway security guard before winning the prize. He was only 23 when he heard the news of the jackpot.

“I was 23, single and living at home when I won. I finished my shift as a railway guard, and went to the local pub. Mum and dad were sitting there, white with shock, because they’d checked my numbers. Dad said he needed to talk to me alone in the toilets, and I thought ‘What have I done?’ I was sure I was about to be told off. The money has paid for 12 trips to New York, holidays for my mum and dad, a house for my sister and a five-bed house for me. I met my future wife nine months after the win, and when I turned up to collect her for our first date in a brand new Range Rover, her Nan said ‘I think he’s a drug dealer!

2005: Sarah Cockings, 36, from Whitley Bay, won £3,045,705

Despite winning, Sarah confesses that she and her family have lived a fairly ordinary life. Big money has enabled them to buy a nice house and expensive cars, but other than that, not much has changed for the winner.

2006: Mother-of-three Geraldine Bradley, 50, won £3,570,063 as part of a family syndicate

Geraldine’s first purchase after winning was £9.99 Kentucky Fried Chicken to celebrate. The lottery winner’s first major purchase was an expensive Mercedes four months later.

“We moved to a four-bedroom country home with three reception rooms, a snooker room, a maze in the grounds and a lake at the bottom, with geese. We’ve been able to support our children as they have grown-up and go on some amazing trips around the world.”

2007: Kerri-Ann Robinson, 41, won £2,543,691

Kerri-Ann Robinson said “everything went blurry” when she realised she had won £2,543,691 on January 24 2007.

The 41-year-old, who lives in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, with her husband Tony and her two children, was a mature student studying for a diploma in business at college at the time of her win.She said she purchased a Lucky Dip card for the Lotto draw as an “afterthought” while buying her daughter blackcurrant juice.

“I went from wearing costume jewellery to buying the real thing.”

2008: Tracy Field, 51, won £2,561,513

Tracy Field, from Benfleet, won £3.5 million in 2008 – a year after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She managed to beat the disease. The woman also managed to move into a new house and buy a new car. But overall, says Tracy Field, her life has not changed much. She spends most of her time caring for her grandson, but plans to travel more in 2019.

“I had been struggling as a single mum with three jobs, servicing vending machines, cleaning and delivering catalogues, when I was diagnosed with cancer. 2007 was my lowest year, because I felt so ill, and I lost my long hair. I won the following year, just as I was beginning to get my life back. I realised I had won late at night, and I felt compelled to go and buy something, after years of scrimping. I went to Tesco at Midnight in my pyjamas, and bought a box of Bonio dog biscuits, because I couldn’t think of what else to buy. I went from a three-bed semi to a four-bed detached, which cost £430 000.”

2009: Brian Caswell, 84, from Bolton, won £24,951,269 on EuroMillions

Brian and Joan Caswell have won £24.9m in the EuroMillions Lottery in Macclesfield, England. The couple plan to split the winnings with their two daughters and four grandchildren.

“I went to collect the newspapers, and I checked my ticket at the same time. I had all six numbers, and I walked home a little in shock. When I got to my gate, the neighbour Stan said ‘Have you heard? A grey haired bloke who lives locally has won the Lottery!’ We’d lived in that house for 48 years, but after we won, it was clear we’d have to move. We bought ourselves a house, and a house for each of our adult daughters, all in the same day. Our favourite moment has been taking our grandchildren to Lapland on a private plane. Five years ago, I needed an emergency quadruple by-pass, and instead of waiting, our daughter was examined by the top surgeon and I paid to go private – so the Lottery has kept me healthy as well as happy.

2010: Susan Herdman, 51, from Boroughbridge, Yorkshire, won £1,182,714

Susan Herdman grew up in a simple, hard-working family: a father, a mother, two loving older sisters and a farm full of animals. Susan herself also started working as a teenager. No one here expected miracles or favours – although her father bought lottery tickets every month, every month since 1994. His daughter followed him in buying tickets. But it wasn’t blind faith in luck: Susan always knew firmly that she would win, but when she did – winning still came as a shock.

The woman returned to the farm and started breeding pigs and gardening. She still leads a modest and frugal life, dressing in chain shops and charity shops, except now she no longer has to worry about paying the bills. Susan always remembers how lucky she is and never forgets to look out for others: she donates to charity.

2011: Geoffrey Bennette, 70, won £3,530,707

Geoffrey lives with his wife Hillary near Blackburn. He then decided to spend his winnings on holiday travels. Since then he and his wife have travelled to South Africa, Scandinavia, India, New Zealand and Australia. 

“It was a magical moment, so rare even the tour guides ran off the buses with their cameras. You can’t put a price on the experiences we’ve had and memories we’ve made.”

2012: Libby Elliot, 57 from Aberdeenshire, won £2,159,664

Libby Elliot, from Aberdeenshire, said her winning ticket was paid for by her father, Tony Elliot, who was in hospital at the time. The 57-year-old won £2,159,664 on August 18th 2012 from a £2 Lucky Dip. She is now travelling the world following her father’s death before Christmas last year and her four children leaving home. Ms Elliot said she has lost 11 stone since winning.

2013: Dione Buss, 53, from Somerset, won £1,888,630

Dione lives in Bridgwater, Somerset, with her 54-year-old husband Richard. Before winning the lottery, Dione faced a streak of the toughest challenges. When her daughter was very young, Dione was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Her daughter Harriet sometimes had to look after her mother because of her health problems.

“I had just returned to work for the local council after months of sick leave when I won the Lotto jackpot. It improved my health – because my condition can be made worse by stress and exhaustion. Richard and I went to see the Great Wall of China, which had been his childhood dream – and standing there, we both became really emotional. It really hit home at that moment that our lives had changed. Our daughter has just got married, and we have had an amazing weekend of wedding celebrations. Other goosebump moments are our incredible worldwide travel adventures.

2014: Matt Myles, 33, from Hereford, won £1,000,000 on the EuroMillions Raffle

Matt Myles, 29, spent half a million of his jackpot over a year and a half travelling the world buying clothes and partying with friends. As he himself claims, he had 150 girlfriends during that time, some of whom didn’t even know he was a millionaire.

“I actually had a panic attack when the man from Camelot arrived with the cheque. I was a single lady and I immediately quit my job and flew to Bali on holiday with seven of my mates. It was the first of many lads’ holidays – but then I met Stacy, who knocked me for six. She was so un-materialistic, and she worked as a play therapist with children. We planned a world trip together, but when we got to China, Stacy became unwell. I took her to hospital, where they ran tests but nobody spoke English. Finally, they took us into the room, flashed up a baby scan and all the doctors started clapping. I looked at the screen and became so emotional – I actually had my second panic attack.

2015: Anne Canavan, 58, from Northern Ireland, won £1 054 000 on EuroMillions

Anne Canavan, from Northern Ireland, still lives in the same four-bed house she owned before winning £1 054 000 on August 28 2015. The 58-year-old said she had been washing her car on the afternoon of the draw and told her neighbour “it’s about time someone from around here won the lottery”. She said since winning she has spent £50 000 improving her house and purchased four other properties as investments. Ms Canavan now designs and invents new products, with 17 innovations currently in development.

2016: Jamie Heavens, 26, from Bournemouth, won £1,000,000 on a Millionaire Riches Scratchcard

Four years ago a simple British roofer wiped the security layer off an instant lottery ticket – and became rich in an instant. He won a million pounds. The money could have been used to buy a luxury apartment on Kensington Street, in the heart of London, but Jamie Havens decided to use the money in a different way. He’d met Danielle at the time – they’d known each other since they were kids. They shared their winnings with his sweetheart and together they decided what to do with the unexpected wealth. They decided to spend £25,000 on a big wedding and a honeymoon at Disneyland. On top of that, the boys bought themselves two cars, a Mercedes GLA for him and a BMW X3 for her – the only luxuries they allowed themselves.

They invested the rest of the money in real estate and securities. Jamie has also started his own business, a small road repair firm. Danielle had a baby and switched to a part-time job. She now works as a secretary in a garage at weekends and the rest of her time is devoted to her family. The couple have a growing son and the parents have decided that Huey should see his parents working to earn money. This will teach him to have a proper attitude to money, Jamie and Danielle believe.

2017: Bev Middleton, 40, from Bradford, won £14,509,500 on EuroMillions

Bev Middleton, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, said she was in debt, living on a council estate and “struggling” to raise her four children when she won £14,509,500 on February 17 2017. With two autistic children, the 40-year-old, who was on benefits, said she purchased a house “five minutes up the road” so her children could be closer to the school they attend.

2018: Arron Walshaw, 33, won £1,000,000 on Lotto

A resident of Ossett, West Yorkshire in the north of England, went to the shop just minutes before the draw ended. The 32-year-old man ran up to the till at the same time as another customer. She saw Walshaw in a hurry and let him go ahead and he bought a lottery ticket.

That evening, he and his 23-year-old fiancée Keri Hall counted their combined modest savings: there was about £50 left over for the honeymoon. The next morning, the couple found out they had won £1 million. A delighted Walshaw is sure that if it wasn’t for the politeness of the woman who missed him, he wouldn’t have had time to buy the ticket. He plans to spend the money he wins on a “dream wedding”. The man would also like to find the woman from the shop and thank her.

2019: Natalie Metcalf, 38, from Thornbury, South Glos, won £1,000,000 on EuroMillions

A couple from Thornbury, UK, Andrew Symes and Natalie Metcalf have won a million pound jackpot in the lottery. But the couple were not able to celebrate straight away as they became parents the next day. The winners plan to spend the sum to buy a house, get married and take the trip of their dreams. 

“I was eight months pregnant when I won, and I could only have a few tiny sips of champagne that night. The next day, we went to view a new house and I went into labour a month early. I’m convinced it was the shock. Our daughter was born on February 5, and holding her in my arms was one of the happiest moments of my life. Andy’s dad is one of four boys, Andy is one of three boys, he also has two nephews plus we already had a son, Noah.”

Find out more fun facts about lotteries and their winners at https://yesplay.bet/lucky-numbers/uk_49s_lunch/results !