Workers on redundancy notice cheered by lottery win

Syndicate founder Craig Rowland wrote a cheque to each member of the group

A work syndicate has won more than £159,000 on the National Lottery, just weeks after members were told they would be made redundant.

The 46-strong group at Crystal Martin's warehouse, in Sutton-in-Ashfield, was formed by employees who were told their site would close in the summer.

It matched five numbers plus one Lucky Star in the EuroMillions draw on 6 March - winning £3,469.76 per member.

Group celebrations have been postponed though because of social distancing.

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Syndicate founder Craig Rowland said he decided to distribute the winnings with a personal touch.

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"I ordered a couple of cheque books and when the money cleared in my account, spent the evening writing them all out," he said.

"It may sound a bit old-fashioned to write a cheque, but it seemed more personal.

"We are all gutted about the closing of the warehouse but the win is great news for a great bunch of people who I know will all find new jobs."

The father-of-two from Mansfield said he planned to spend some of the winnings on a new cooker door, with the rest going into a "special pot" to help his family move house in the future.

Another member of the syndicate Lynne Halsam, from Morton, Derbyshire, said the warehouse was "buzzing" following the win.

"The first thing I'm buying is a new living room carpet," she said.