23 Dec, 2009 @ 00:37
1 min read

Spain’s El Gordo heads north

IT was the largest lottery in history, handing out over 2.3 billion euros.

But hardly any came to the south of Spain.

Indeed, the only Andalucia winners of the El Gordo lottery this year shared fifth prize in Jaen, as well as Malaga and Sevilla, although nobody was expected to pick up more than a few thousand euros.

The big prize, which went to ticket number 78,294 was shared out between a huge 1,950 people who each won 300,000 euros.

The majority of them were said to live in Madrid.

One of the winners, Rafael Lara, 24, a telephone shop worker originally from the Dominican Republic, said: “When I found out I’d won, I didn’t know how to react. I rang my mother and she can’t believe it. I still don’t know what I’ll do with the money”.

Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

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