Lottery syndicate member won share of £1m on the day he retired

A member of a garage lottery syndicate which won £1 million on the EuroMillions found out about his windfall on the day he retired.

The rest of the 11-strong syndicate plan to continue working at GPG Montrose Garage in Montrose, Angus, and to keep running the syndicate.

Robert Pert, 66, from Montrose, said: “This win couldn’t have come at a better time – on the day of my retirement.

“Definitely a reason for a very big and very special celebration.”

The wife of the syndicate organiser said she thought it was a scam when he woke her to tell her they had won.

Lesley Forsyth, 56, said she and her husband Arthur, 57, both woke at 4am and he had checked a lottery ticket to find they had won £2.80 but he then woke her three hours later when he discovered the syndicate win.

She said: “He just started shouting, ‘oh my goodness, oh my goodness’. I wondered what on earth had happened.

“He said, ‘the garage, our syndicate, we have won £1 million’.

“I said, ‘No, this can’t be true, it must be a scam’ and he just kept saying, ‘No Lesley, it isn’t. I am on the official National Lottery page and this really is true’.”

She added: “I think the news is still sinking in, you hear of people winning all the time but you just never ever think it will happen to you – a garage business in Montrose.”

The company’s planned away day turned into a lottery-winning celebration at a restaurant.

As well as the Forsyths, from Montrose, and their daughter Laura, the syndicate also includes Allan Stevenson, technician, 59, from Laurencekirk; and Laura Guthrie, 35, a member of the office team, from Brechin.

Further members are office manager Cheryl Milne, 28; director Laura Forsyth, 31; technician Martin Guthrie, 30; and workshop manager Raymond Nicoll, 47 – all from Montrose.

The syndicate won the EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker with the winning code of JHJG 53786.

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