This week’s winner in the Made in Bury Weekly £2000 Draw is Mary Cooke, who works at East Lancashire Railway on Bolton Street in Bury Town Centre. Mary has 2 tickets per week in the Draw and it’s her 2^nd ticket, number 22053, that was the lucky winner. Congratulations from us all.

It was a very windy Winning Wednesday, but that wasn’t going to stop us trying to surprise this week’s winner. Leanne decided to go down to ELR’s head office to see if Mary was in and we were in luck. We were greeted by the lovely Mark who helped us with the covert operation to sneak into Mary’s office without being seen.

What a shock it was Mary was lost for words when she was presented with the giant £2000 cheque. Mary joined the draw after attending a Business Awards night representing East Lancs Railway in replacement for another colleague who couldn’t make it, she saw a leaflet about the draw and thought it was a great idea to join as it’s a not-for-profit initiative, just like ELR. A year later Mary decided to get another ticket to increase her odds of winning and she told Leanne afterwards that she’s delighted that she did.

Mary has worked for East Lancs Railway for almost 5 years in the finance department, she absolutely loves what she does and is a great advocate for everything that the ELR does. Mary told Leanne that the £2000 winnings is going to go towards a holiday that she’s booked with the family in July this year.

Since reopening in May 2021 after lockdown, East Lancs have had many events and are an incredible day out for all the family, catering for all ages. From their multi award winning Dining Experiences, a Day Out with Thomas, to the infamous Santa Special at Christmas. With food and drink available along the way, including The Trackside Pub offering a wonderful range of craft ales, the events that they offer are sure to put a smile on your face and create some very happy memories.

East Lancs have over 800 volunteers that help throughout the year and they are incredibly proud of the great support from the local community in continuing the rich heritage that the ELR have to offer. If you're looking for a great day out or want to volunteer, then check out East Lancashire Railway for more information. 

Click here to see the moment we surprised Mary.