A year to remember for National Lottery winners.

IT was a year which saw European lottery history made.

Record-breaking EuroMillions mega-jackpot reaching pounds 125 million, the second ever Lotto Triple Rollover in 12 years, the launch of the brand new Dream Number game to support the London 2012 Olympics and the amount raised for Good Causes topping the pounds 19 billion mark, 2006 ended in style with The National Lottery celebrating the creation of its landmark 2,000th millionaire.

To mark this milestone event, 120 jackpot winners - collectively worth over pounds 400 million - assembled at the lottery-funded Somerset House in London. This largest ever gathering of big lottery winners was attended by lottery millionaire Angela O'Connor from Rugby, who won pounds 8.9 million in October 1998.

The Warwickshire area has had its fair share of lottery excitement over the years, with other major winners including a lucky syndicate of 12 Coventry dinner ladies which won pounds 2.3 million in September 2004.

To commemorate creating its 2,000th millionaire, The National Lottery has also released new research into the lives of the UK's exclusive club of lottery millionaires. The Ipsos MORI survey offered a unique insight into the lives of the 2,000 new lottery millionaires whose lucky numbers have come up since the first draw on 19 November 1994. It provides a rare glimpse into what they buy, where they live, and what they do with the money - as well as uncovering how they picked those lucky numbers in the first place.

The research shows the positive effect a big lottery win can have in making millionaire winners feel younger (22 per cent), lose weight (19 per cent), and feel as happy or happier (96 per cent) than before they hit the jackpot.

It is not just the winners themselves who reap the benefits of a lottery win, however, as the overnight millionaires also give money to family (99 per cent), to friends (76 per cent) and to charity (91 per cent).

The study also revealed that houses, cars and caravans still top the list of lottery winners' top 10 purchases, the USA and Dubai have leapt above Spain as their favourite holiday destinations and BMW, Land Rover/Range Rover are the millionaires' motors of choice.

So, are there any top tips for prospective new members from Coventry and Warwickshire who are looking to join the exclusive lottery millionaires' club in 2007? Other than getting your ticket in the first place, the secret behind picking those winning numbers is... there is no secret!

Forty per cent of lottery millionaires use Lucky Dip , and the rest choose their own numbers - whether that is a random selection off of the top of their heads, or a collection of favourite numbers based on family birthdays and significant dates. It seems that some winners know that they are going to win - 38 per cent state that they had always believed they would win a lot of money one day, while half the respondents (50 per cent) report having dreamt of winning a bundle of cash.

Winning may stem from positive thinking, as half of the millionaires surveyed (51 per cent) consider themselves to be lucky people.