THE NATIONAL Lottery has revealed it invested more than £150million in projects in East Lancashire in the 20 years since the first draw on November 19, 1994.

In the past two decades thousands of grants have been awarded to individuals and organisations.

A breakdown of awards given shows projects in Blackburn with Darwen received £39.1million, Burnley and Pendle combined £55.1million, Hyndburn £17.4million, Chorley £29.1million and Ribble Valley £9.6million.

On tour to celebrate 20 years of the lottery we spoke to Andy Carter, a senior winners advisor who has given away more than £1billion to lucky players and Debbie Mather, from Chorley, who won the £5.1M jackpot in 2005.

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Debbie, who still lives in the town, said that the win has given her health as well as happiness.

"I was the only winner that weekend and found out while watching television at a friend's house," she said.

"I was registered disabled at the time after injuring my legs in a fall and the win enabled me to get help with a personal trainer and a dietician to improve my mobility.

"The security it gave also allowed me to open a business and I've now got two fireworks and fancy dress shops in Chorley and Prescott.

"The other big thing it's done is allow my son Peter to indulge his passions and he's been able to pursue his love for skydiving and become part of the UK team."

Debbie, one of 3,600 winners who have won £1million or more, added that she continues her association with the National Lottery because of all the charitable work it does.

She said: "I'm under no obligation to work with them but they are lovely people and the grants they hand out do so much good.

"The lottery has been of benefit to hundreds of thousands of people, not just the big cash winners."

Andy Carter looks after people who have won sums of £50,000 or more.

He said: "I've been doing the job eight years and I've broken through the £1billion mark in terms of money won.

"I'm there to make sure everything goes smoothly and winners get the advice and service they deserve.

" For instance we can give the winners up to £5,000 in cash until the money has cleared."

Jackie O’Sullivan, from the National Lottery, said: “In 20 years, the National Lottery has helped transform life in East Lancashire for the better, creating iconic cultural landmarks, empowering communities and developing world class sporting talent."