EuroMillions Raffle win for Brantham primary school syndicate

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-29800175

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A primary school's lottery syndicate has won £1m on the EuroMillions Raffle.

The 23 members of the group work at Brooklands Primary in Brantham, Suffolk and will each get £43,478.

Head teacher Christine Davy, 36, said: "There was plenty of shrieking - I think we gave our more boisterous Year 6 pupils a run for their money."

No-one in the syndicate, who bought the winning ticket at Tesco Express in Manningtree, Essex, has handed in their notice at the school.

EuroMillions lottery ticket holders are automatically entered into the EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle, which they won on Tuesday 21 October.

'Sat there mute'

The syndicate had been running for eight years.

Helju Cross, 52, the school secretary and syndicate leader, said she had checked her tickets in a newsagent and was told she had won £6 and £2, but the third winning ticket was too much to pay out there and then.

She then checked the numbers online using her tablet while out in the car.

"It was unbelievable, but I just sat there mute, because I thought it unwise to tell my elderly mother I'd won a share of a million pounds while she was behind the wheel," she said.

The school, which has 200 pupils, said no-one had handed in their notice ahead of the half-term holiday.

Ms Davy said: "We are a really close, happy, hardworking team and being able to share this experience together has been the icing on the cake."

Syndicate members have said they will spend their money on a mixture of holidays, home renovations and cars.

Ken Dodd, 63, who had been teaching in Brantham for a decade, said: "It's definitely a very welcome addition to my pension pot and gives me greater peace of mind.

"This has been an amazing experience and it's been great seeing some of my younger colleague's reactions."