A LANCASTER hospital worker and her sister are both calling "house" after scooping a massive £105,000 win at Gala Bingo.

Carol Barnes and Denise Howes, who are both auxiliary workers at Royal Lancaster Infirmary, plan to split their winnings with their mum, Joyce Barnes, and pay off their mortgages.

Carol won the national game last Thursday while enjoying her regular night out with her sister and mother.

"I couldn't believe it when my numbers came up," said Carol. "Denise had just popped to the ladies while my mum and I marked our tickets. When she came out of the ladies pandemonium broke out. Once it had sunk in I broke down and cried my eyes out. I was just gobsmacked. They had to take me outside. I thought I was going to faint."

Carol, 38, Denise, 37, and their mum Joyce, 67, always play bingo together on Thursday nights, and Carol used to work at Gala before leaving to have her daughter, Lisa.

After splitting the winnings all three will pocket £35,000 and both sisters plan to buy their own homes with the unexpected windfall.

"We always share are winnings, big or small," added Carol. "We share everything because we are family and we love each other. Our biggest single win before this was when mum picked up £300 a couple of years ago."

Denise said: "I have always wanted to own my own home and now I can. It's wonderful news. No more paying rent for me!"

Mum Joyce and her retired postal worker husband Wilf, 69, are planning to use their share of the windfall to fly to New Zealand to visit pals."

Gala Club manager, Andrew Hartop, was ecstatic that three of his customers had won the big one. "It's just fantastic. It's the first time anyone at this club has won the national game."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.