With just days to go until the missing Lotto ticket is due to expire (23 February 2017), the team from the local canoe club are appealing to locals to check their tickets from the unique Team GB-inspired Lotto Medal Draw on 27 August 2016 for the winning Millionaire Raffle code NAVY 2918 6121.

The one-off Lotto draw on 27 August 2016 was held to thank National Lottery players for the support they have given Team GB through playing the lottery.

To try and help jog the missing ticket-holder’s memory, members of Stirling & Falkirk Canoe Club donned their wetsuits to take a paddle upstream towards the world’s largest equine sculpture, The Kelpies, waving a banner displaying the winning Lotto Millionaire Raffle code NAVY 2918 6121 in the hope of uniting the missing millionaire with their winnings.

The club, which received £8,000 of National Lottery funding to help purchase transport equipment along with four additional canoes and six kayaks, displayed their sporting ability in the lock at the heart of The Helix beneath the iconic 100ft structures. The National Lottery also helped transform The Helix project into a major visitor destination with the help of £25 million of funding.

Every week Lotto Millionaire Raffle guarantees to create two millionaires but the winner, who bought their Lotto ticket in the Falkirk Council Area, was one of 27 millionaires created in the draw to celebrate 27 Gold medals won in Rio. In addition, 23 prizes of £100,000 to equal the Silver medal haul and 17 additional prizes of £50,000 to match those Bronze medals won by Team GB were also up for grabs.

The National Lottery has invested over £5 billion in grassroots sport to date, with Stirling & Falkirk Canoe Club and the Helix development just two of the causes that have benefitted. Keen canoer and volunteer at the club, Mark Sadler who joined the millionaire search said: “The Stirling & Falkirk Canoe Club continues to go from strength to strength since its formation in 1990. We offer our members regular pool sessions, trips on local lochs, rivers and canals. We have been lucky to enjoy success across all fields, undoubtedly aided by the funding we have received from The National Lottery.

“We are delighted to support the hunt and hope we find that lucky ticket-holder. As a club we already feel like lottery winners due to the National Lottery funding we have enjoyed, now let’s find that other lucky Falkirk Bairn!”

Keeping his feet firmly on dry land but nevertheless keen to find the lucky winner, Andy Carter, Senior Winners’ Advisor at The National Lottery said: “We’re eager to find the mystery Falkirk ticket-holder and unite them with their winnings – this amazing prize could really make a huge difference to somebody’s life. Team GB’s success in Rio, when their haul was a whopping 67 medals, was outstanding and worthy of celebration with an extra special Lotto draw, now we just need to find Falkirk’s winner to help them celebrate their own win!”

The National Lottery plays a unique role in supporting the UK’s elite athletes, with no one contributing more to elite sport in the UK than National Lottery players. British athletes have won over 700 Olympic and Paralympic medals since National Lottery funding was first awarded to elite athletes in 1997.

If no one comes forward with the winning ticket before the prize claim deadline, then the prize money, plus all the interest it has generated, will go to help National Lottery-funded projects across the UK. The National Lottery changes the lives of individuals as well as communities – players raise, on average, over £30 million for National Lottery-funded projects every week.

With all National Lottery draws, players have 180 days from the day of the draw to claim their prize if they have the winning ticket. Anyone who has any queries or who believes they have the winning ticket for any of the National Lottery draws within the 180-day deadline should call the National Lottery Line on 0844 338 7551 or email [email protected]

Anyone concerned about lost or unchecked tickets may like to consider either setting up a National Lottery Direct Debit or playing online at www.national-lottery.co.uk. Numbers can be entered in advance and lucky winners are notified online if their numbers come up.  For further information call 0845 912 5000 or visit www.national-lottery.co.uk.

Players can contact Camelot by telephoning the National Lottery Line during its normal operating hours. Alternatively, players can email Camelot to confirm they intend to claim their prize but this email must be received at [email protected] no later than the end (before 12 midnight) of the 180 day claim period, and the claim must subsequently be made in person. Please see Game Rules and Procedures for full details of how to claim.