£1MMillion Lotto win for Quartermaster Generals Syndicate

The syndicate, ‘the Quartermaster Generals’ range in age from 39 to 61, and all work in the Blandford Garrison Support Unit and with each taking home at least a £45,454 share of the win, this was one supply-line the team were very happy to manage.

Syndicate leader, Rose Smith, 60, has been running the Quartermaster Generals for more than ten years. They play 22 lines in each Lotto draw, and while they have had a few smaller wins along the way, including £700 just last year, they've had nothing like this £1million Lotto prize pot.

Rose, who Stores Officer and a grandmother to 11, collects the money every month and buys the syndicates tickets online.

“On Sunday morning my husband Gary, who is also a syndicate member, was looking at our emails and saw a few from The National Lottery. Taking a brief glance he saw that there were Lucky Dip tickets for the following draw yet among those messages was a slightly different one with lots of noughts!”

Initially Gary, a Training Manager thought the syndicate had won a very respectable £1,000 but on closer inspection realised there were more than three zeroes on the screen and called Rose over to take a look. Rose admits she didn’t believe what she was seeing.

“I was so sure he was wrong that I told him it must be a joke. Laughing, Gary quite rightly said he didn’t think The National Lottery was in the habit of joking about these sorts of things and that I’d better call Camelot!”

With a call promptly made to the team at Camelot who verified the win, Rose rang some from the syndicate to share the good news and arranged to meet everyone in her office on Monday morning.

“I called everyone into my office and told them the good news. Most people thought I was joking and couldn’t believe our good luck, the atmosphere in that office was amazing with plenty of laughter and joking – let’s just say that was one Monday morning meeting all participants were pleased to be at!

For Rose and Gary, who both work at the Blandford Garrison and have been married for 42 years, their share means peace of mind and security. The pair will be able to help out their four children and treat the grandchildren, but there’s one treat Rose has always dreamt of that can now become a reality.

“I’ve always wanted to own a Chloe handbag but there’s always something else I need to spend the money on so as yet, I don’t have one. This win will enable me to do that one utterly frivolous thing and buy my designer handbag!”

Rose’s fellow syndicate members don’t yet have designer handbags on their list but have plenty of their own plans with one lucky member thinking of having a conservatory, the others are looking at new cars and even passports so a few luxury holidays are definitely in the offing.

Rose admits it has been a special experience for the group. “While we always dreamt of a win I guess we never thought it could be this big. Sharing this money with the syndicate is a wonderful experience. To know that all the syndicate members can now make plans for a brighter future, whether it’s a trip overseas to visit family or clearing some debts, the win will make a difference to all of us.”

The Blandford Garrison Support Unit provides general support, including managing all supplies in and out, for units located within Blandford Camp and to those within the Garrison Boundaries.

4th October 2017