A NATIONAL institution with a head for figures is celebrating its 40th anniversary - and one local person has a million good reasons to celebrate.

The Premium Bond celebrates its milestone birthday in the knowledge that it has created 39 new millionaires since April, 1994 - and one of them lives in Bury.

Its first ever draw was on June 3, 1957, and in the following 40 years, ERNIE (the Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment), has awarded a record 434,391 prizes worth nearly £33 million.

In November 1980, Bolton recorded a £100,000 winner and in 1984 someone from the town scooped £50,000.

Then in February 1984 a 17-year-old Bolton office worker won £100,000 in a Premium Bond payout.

However, in January 1995, the area really hit the jackpot.

A Bury resident, who was not identified, got a surprise knock at the door, which signified a £1 million win.

The lucky winner was informed of their good fortune by a representative from the Bond's office in Blackpool at 9am. The £20 Bond made its owner ERNIE's 10th millionaire.

There are still more than £1.6 million worth of unclaimed Premium Bond prizes lying untouched in the North-west counties alone and bond holders are urged to double check their Bond numbers.

Organisers from National Savings write to winners to let them know their good news, but most of the unclaimed prizes belong to people who have moved house and forgotten to let National Savings know.

Bond holders should write to National Savings, Blackpool, BY3 9YP with their new address, and can check winning numbers at main post offices. A list is published two months after each draw, along with a complete list of unclaimed prizes, updated quarterly.

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