FIVE local men and women are among a 14-strong syndicate sharing a pools win of more than £1 million. And the man who filled in the coupon and received the cheque didn't win a penny!

They all work for the NatWest Bank at Bolton or Wigan and have been part of the syndicate since it was formed in 1992.

The colleagues gathered at a Manchester hotel on Wednesday for a champagne reception at which they picked up the cheque for £1,000,550 from Gloria Hunniford on behalf of Littlewoods Pools.

Among those celebrating were Marie Mallion and Ruth Little, from Bury, Dave Swift and Janice Hall, from Radcliffe, and Whitefield man Paul Stewart, who each spend 50p a week on the combined entry.

Receiving the cheque was Graham Hart (28) of Bolton who broke the news to his workmates after a telephone call from Littlewoods.

Amazingly, he won't get any of the cash because he is not a syndicate member. He took on the task of filling in the coupon as a favour.

When the original organiser left the branch, no-one wanted the responsibility of making the entry, so he stepped in.

Colleague John Jenkinson, who does share in the windfall, said: "We're all shocked by the news, but with most of us working in different areas we haven't been able to get together and chat about it yet."

Administration manager Julie Thomas added: "The money will be put to good use. Most of us have young families and quite a few are either buying their first homes or moving to new ones."

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