HOSPITAL porter Dominic McGuinness has experienced many of life's emotions, but even he confessed to being "shocked" after taking a telephone call at work on Monday . . .

For the 27-year-old father-of-four, a porter at Arrowe Park Hospital for the last five years, was told that he had become the latest two thousand pounds jackpot winner on Wirral's newest weekly lottery.

"I'm still in a state of shock!" he told me barely an hour after receiving the wonderful news from Allan Stewart, manager of the St John's Hospice in Wirral Weekly Lottery.

Dominic, who lives in Wallasey with wife Paula and children Carol, John, Stephanie and Gillian, added: "I've been in the St John's Lottery since it started in January and I am also in the Arrowe Park Lottery, but this is the first time I have ever won anything - I can't believe it!"

He added: "We are going away on holiday in September - the money will ensure we all have a great time!"

Each week throughout the year, the St John's Hospice lottery computer selects at random the 54 numbers which share the three thousand pounds weekly prize money - a top prize of two thousand pounds, second prize of five hundred pounds, third prize of one hundred pounds, fourth prize of fifty pounds, 20 ten pound winners and 30 five pound winners.

The winning numbers are published each week in the Wirral Globe.

Membership of the lottery is open to people aged 16 or over. One pound per week buys one ticket which gives the holder a unique number selected by computer.

Officials at St John's, a registered charity, decided to launch their own local lottery following refusal of an application for National Lottery funds to help meet the one million pounds annual running costs of the hospice, which provides invaluable care for the terminally ill and their families.

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