Family syndicate celebrates £1m lottery win

The Cobb family have played the same lottery numbers since forming a syndicate in 1994

A family that has played the same lottery numbers since forming a syndicate at a Christmas get-together in 1994 is celebrating a £1m win.

The mother and her three children from Peterborough matched five main numbers and the bonus ball in the draw on 22 June, and they will each bank £250,000.

Audrey Cobb, 87, and her three children David Cobb, 67, Carol Nobbs, 55, and 60-year-old Sandra Digby have already started making plans for their money.

Syndicate leader Mr Cobb said he always believed the group would win.

"We've had some small wins along the way but I was definitely the favourite big brother when I told my sisters I was giving them each £250,000," he said.

"It was an incredible moment, especially for my sister Carol who, after a tough few years, thought she would never have her own home again."

The winning numbers were 5, 9, 18, 32, 44 and 58, and the family's ticket matched five of those numbers and the number 34 bonus ball.

Mr Cobb's wife Linda checked the National Lottery app the morning after the draw and saw a message alerting them to the win.

But as the National Lottery phone lines did not open until later in the day, they set off on a 10-mile bike ride to fill the time before claiming the win.

Audrey Cobb and her three children will each take a £250,000 share of the cash

After the win was confirmed, Mr Cobb said he visited his mother.

"I told mum I had some good news and wanted to tell her and my sisters at the same time," he said.

"She immediately said, 'Have we won the lottery?', so my plan was slightly scuppered."

The pair then shared the news with Mr Cobb's sisters on a group call.

"I've always been the one to say we will win. I've never been in any doubt, so from that Christmas catch-up when we jokingly set up the syndicate a few months after the first Lotto draw in November 1994, I've been waiting for this moment," Mr Cobb said.

"To be able to share it with my family is the icing on the cake, and to see that it will help the wider family is the cherry on top."