Six hospital caterers win £25.4m on EuroMillions after one nearly quit to save for her wedding

For six years, a group of catering staff at Neath Port Talbot Hospital put in their money every week and played EuroMillions together. Same syndicate, same routine, week after week.

In November 2017 it paid off. They won £25,476,778.30.

The Catering Girls

The syndicate was Julie Saunders, Doreen Thompson, Julie Amphlett, Sian Jones, Louise Ward and Jean Cairns. Five of them still worked in the hospital kitchens. Jean, 73, had retired the year before but kept playing with her old colleagues.

The papers soon called them “The Catering Girls”.

The one who nearly walked away

Louise Ward, 37, was the newest member. She’d only joined in October 2016.

Earlier in 2017 she thought about leaving the syndicate. She was getting married the following March and wanted to save every penny she could.

She stayed in. “I’m so glad I never did,” she said.

“It could be us”

The draw was on Friday 3 November 2017. All six were at work that day, so syndicate leader Julie Saunders asked her husband, Alwyn, to buy the ticket.

On the Saturday, Julie went to see her dad in his residential home. He told her one ticket had won the jackpot. “It could be us,” she said, “as we haven’t checked yet.”

She had no idea the winning ticket was already sitting in her living room cabinet. When she got home and checked the numbers, they matched. She called Camelot.

£4.2 million each

Split six ways, each member got £4,246,129.72.

The five who still worked at the hospital all handed in their notices that week. There was no gradual wind-down and no final month. They just finished.

Vegas, Florida and a bigger wedding

• Julie Saunders, 56, a catering assistant for 12 years, wanted to go to Las Vegas. She loves Elvis.
• Doreen Thompson, 56, also a catering assistant for 12 years, had her eye on Florida.
• Jean Cairns was heading to Vegas too, for the slot machines.
• Julie Amphlett, 50, wanted a new house, plus handbags and shoes.

And Louise? She’d been trying to cut her wedding guest list down from 80 people.

“I can now have as many guests as I want.”

The six celebrated together at Hensol Castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, and planned a group trip to Las Vegas in the new year.

Why syndicates work

Stories like this are why so many workplaces run a lottery syndicate. Each person’s chance of winning doesn’t go up, but the group holds more lines, and the fun of checking together is half the point.

If you run one, write down who’s in, how much they pay and how any prize gets split. It saves arguments later, whether you win £25 or £25 million.