50th anniversary: menu of materials available to journalists
NS&I CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF PREMIUM BONDS PRIZES
Menu of materials available
On 1 June 2007 almost 24 million people will all be waiting for one announcement: the winning numbers of the biggest Premium Bond draw to date. Almost 1.5 million prizes worth £116 million will be paid out including five £1 million jackpots.
This draw which marks 50 years since ERNIE first went into action, will have a record number of Bonds in the draw and will feature the largest prize fund in the history of Premium Bonds.
First launched in 1956, Premium Bonds have become one of Britain’s most successful financial products with £36 billion currently invested by almost 40% of the population.
This anniversary provides an excellent opportunity for journalists and broadcasters and NS&I, which runs Premium Bonds, will be releasing a number of stories in the run up to this historic event including:
- Tuesday 29 May - new sales figures and information on whether Premium Bonds are still a good investment
- Tuesday 29 May - research on the amount of money Brits consider life changing and how they would spend a windfall
- Friday 1 June - details of June’s five jackpot winners
- July - a report into how the savings market has changed in the last 50 years and predictions for the next 50 years
The following media materials are also available:
Factsheets
- ERNIE, the Premium Bonds prize draw machine
- Prize draw/odds
- Sales/commercial info
- General information
- 50 facts about Premium Bonds
Photography
- June’s winning numbers displayed on ERNIE in Blackpool: ‘the home of Premium Bonds’ (available on 1 June only)
- 1957 employees and a winner from the first draw and together with ERNIE and June’s numbers in Blackpool: ‘the home of Premium Bonds’ (available on 1 June only)
- Agent Million, the person who hand-delivers the £1 million jackpot each month
- Historical (people, places, events) – including pictures of the first draw and first winning number
- ERNIE
Video
- Broadcast quality video footage (b-roll) including historic and current images of Premium Bonds, ERNIE over the years, people buying Premium Bonds plus soundbites with Premium Bond winner
Locations
- The ERNIE 4 simulator in Blackpool has been designed to reveal the secrets of how the famous Premium Bonds draw works and is available as a venue for outside broadcasts, interviews and photo opportunities.
People and personalities
- Agent Million, the person who hand-delivers the £1 million jackpot
- Engineers who designed the first ERNIE
- Employees from 1956, responsible for checking the winning numbers, checking eligibility of winners and customer service, who have unique stories from the first draw on.
- John Prout, NS&I’s sales director
Case studies
- High value winners (although not jackpot winners, who have all chosen to remain anonymous)
- Premium Bond holders who have only started to invest recently
- Regular winners
- Winners from the first draw in 1957
- Premium Bond holders called ERNIE
- Premium Bond holders with Premium Bonds since the launch in 1956
