A WORK syndicate at a nursing home near Pershore are celebrating after scooping more than £200,000 in the EuroMillions draw.
The group of 10 from Bricklehampton Hall Nursing Home, who call themselves ‘The Brickle 10,’ won the £207,435.10 prize in the draw on Friday, May 5 and have described the moment they discovered they had won.
Syndicate leader and Matron at the care home, Shirley Archer, arrived at work to find her daughter Naomi, who also works at the care home, and her colleague, Annie, shaking in disbelief as they stared at the EuroMillions’ results checker on their mobile.
After being left stunned at the amount of money they had won, they then contacted the rest of the syndicate, some of whom were working or had days off, to explain they were going to call The National Lottery to confirm the win.
“Naomi was holding the phone and her hand was shaking like a leaf,” Shirley said.
“She was with our Patient Services Manager, Annie Humphrey, and they were screaming ‘we’ve won, we’ve won the Lottery!’ They showed me the phone revealing the massive amount and the rest is a bit hazy.”
The hardworking syndicate matched five main numbers and a Lucky Star to bank themselves the cash, of which they will each get a £20,743.51 share.
The syndicate, who are all from the Evesham and Worcester areas, plan to spend their winnings on a range of things, including holidays to Croatia and Dubai, as well as a deposit on a house.
Naomi Archer, who works at the nursing home as an Assistant Diversional Therapist, said: “As Annie was on the phone to Camelot to confirm the win, we were huddled in the office next to her. We were making quite a noise by that point and were jumping up and down in the background. It was just incredible and no-one could take it in. We just kept smiling and laughing.”
Shirley also described the moment she made the call to the other syndicate members to tell them they had won.
“I called everyone who wasn’t in work. I have to admit I had quite a hard time convincing people over the phone it was true,” she added.
“Everyone just kept saying ‘things like this don’t happen to people like us’.
“Once I was done, Nicky, our bursar, rushed home and got a couple of bottles of bubbly and some cakes from the local farm shop and we all had a bit of a celebration in the office.”
“It has been so nice to share this win with my friends and colleagues. Also with lots of residents and their relatives who have been congratulating us. It feels amazing and I think all of us will splash out on a nicer holiday, perhaps an all-inclusive break, after our windfall.”
