A loyal group of paper mill workers from Stalybridge say they have no plans to leave their jobs despite scooping just short of £3 million on Saturday’s UK Lotto. The five-man syndicate from John Hargreaves Paper Mill Operators in Stalybridge won a share of the £8.8 million triple rollover jackpot, netting each of them £590,000. Yet despite their new found fortune, work still comes first for the hardworking machine operators.
The Agnati Crew Syndicate owe their name to the machinery they use and have refused to walk away or take any time off due to the heavy workload. Leader of the syndicate, Gary Smith, said, “The company is quite short staffed at the moment so we didn’t want to just take time off or walk away because of our win.
“I have worked at the mill for 26 years and have a real close affinity with the company. None of us have any plans to give up work, plus we are really busy at the moment.
“We are all close friends in addition to being work colleagues. Despite one of the syndicate members being retired he has continued to pay in. We are all really close.â€Â
The 53 year-old Stalybridge resident says cars, mortgages and exotic holidays are on the agenda for himself and the rest of the syndicate, but not until work at the factory has died down!
The rest of the syndicate is made up of David King, Andrew Howard, Peter Howard and Philip Mellon, who are all looking forward to a secure future.
Operations Director Nick Hargreaves was quick to praise his loyal lottery winners, saying, “I am absolutely delighted for the syndicate. They have a combined loyalty to this company of more than 100 years.
“They are a fantastic team of workers and I am obviously really pleased they have decided to continue to work and not leave the factory. They are a key part of our success story and a part of the family.â€Â
The Agnati Crew Syndicate have been playing the UK Lotto for over 10  years and have always played the same set of numbers, chosen from birthdays and other special dates. They bought their winning ticket from B&J Wine and Food Store in Wakefield Road, Stalybridge, matching all six of the main draw numbers for the draw, which were 3, 5, 9, 28, 35 and 47. The Bonus Ball for the Lotto draw in question was 14.
