Off the Buses for £38m EuroMillions Winning Syndicate

It was 10 years ago when a syndicate of bus drivers from Corby in Northamptonshire, England, won a £38m EuroMillions jackpot.

The 12 Stagecoach employee each received £3,169,553. Their win nearly didn’t happen though after two years of not winning anything. They had considered disbanding the syndicate but thankfully decided against doing so.

Their EuroMillions win came at just the right time. The Stagecoach workers (aged between 34 and 64) had been told that their work shifts were going to be reduced.

Most of the drivers decided their days of driving buses were over. One of those quitting work was John Noakes. He joked: “I can’t go driving a bus around when I’ve got an Aston Martin and I want to go to the racetrack.”

Off to Memphis

He also went off on holiday to Memphis where he renewed his wedding vows. Mr Noakes moved house too and gave his previous home to his niece.

Another of the EuroMillions winners was Alexander Robertson. He’s used his winnings to go on foreign holidays, something he couldn’t previously afford. He and hisfiancee needed to get a passport before going off on their travels.

Despite their big win the couple say they still love going to play bingo.Alexander quit his job at the bus depot but says that he does miss the driving and seeing the other workers. However, he swiftly added “I don’t miss the hassle.”

Unlucky for some 

One unlucky player was Hazel Loveday. She’d quit the syndicate just six months before the EuroMillions win. There had been rumours that Hazel hadn’t been able to afford the £2 a week needed to be a syndicate member. However, the real reason was a disagreement over which lottery to play. Hazel had wanted them to switch to the Irish Lotto

The next EuroMillions draw is on Tuesday March 29 with a £34m jackpot. It’s just been announced that the next EuroMillions Superdraw will be on April 29 with a €130m (£109m) top prize. We’ll have more news about this in the coming weeks.

Get your EuroMillions tickets from Lottery24.