National Lottery syndicate wins £143,595
Tuesday February 8th 2011The organiser of a National Lottery syndicate, who switched off his mobile while on holiday to save money, won’t have to worry about phone bills anymore after scooping £143,595. Chris Whittingham from Walton le Dale, near Preston, didn’t want to rack up a large phone bill while he was on a skiing trip abroad. But on returning to the UK and checking his emails in the airport, the 31-year-old discovered his syndicate had struck gold.
Mr Whittingham said the group uses the internet to buy lotto tickets online but has never won more than the £10 minimum prize.
He said: “I just assumed it was another £10. I went on line to check the syndicate bank balance and noticed that £10 had been paid in – I thought that was it!
“It was only when I looked again I discovered the balance had gone up dramatically. I had to check and double check what was happening and I then realised that we had won big!”
Each member of the nine-strong syndicate, who all work together, will receive a cheque for just under £16,000. And the group has no plans to stop playing the lottery, especially now they have had a taste of what it’s like to win big.
Mr Whittingham said: “We will be continuing to play – let’s hope this latest wave of luck continues.”