A BASINGSTOKE couple who won a million-pound joined other millionaires to celebrate 25 years of the national lottery.

David and Sam Mackie who won £1 million and a dream holiday to a private island in 2014 joined fellow lottery winners to celebrate the impact the competition has had on the UK in the last 25 years and raised a glass to the other millionaires with a RG postcode.

Since its launch more than 70 lottery millionaires have sported a RG postcode, almost three local millionaires every year. In total 465 top tier prizes of at least £50,000 have been banked by players in the RG postcode, over two every three months.

This has amounted to a whopping £148.9 million being handed out to people across the south of England.

David said: “It’s amazing to think that people have been enjoying the ‘if I won the lottery’ conversation for 25 years, and even better to know that 465 ticketholders from the RG postcode area can, like us, say ‘I’ve won the lottery’.”

While Lottery winners are celebrating the birthday, so too are National Lottery-funded projects which range from the truly epic to the ‘on your doorstep’.

Since the funding began in 1994 a staggering £40 billion has been raised for Good Causes and currently around £30 million is raised every week.

Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at The National Lottery, added: “The RG postcode has proved very lucky when it comes to the big wins but it’s not alone. Over the last 25 years, The National Lottery has been making amazing things happen all across the UK.

“Thanks to our National Lottery players, 565,000 Good Cause grants have been given out to projects big and small, that’s the equivalent of 200 life-changing projects in every UK postcode district making a huge impact on communities all over the country.

“On top of this, we have celebrated so many lucky winners who have won life-changing sums of money – here’s to another 25 years of making dreams come true.”