AN IPSWICH man is today half a million pounds better off after he struck it lucky in a work syndicate lottery win.Neil Percy, who is from the Castle Hill area, was one of the members of Hythe Offset Printing's syndicate to receive a share of the £4,800,414 jackpot.

AN IPSWICH man is today half a million pounds better off after he struck it lucky in a work syndicate lottery win.

Neil Percy, who is from the Castle Hill area, was one of the members of Hythe Offset Printing's syndicate to receive a share of the £4,800,414 jackpot.

Mr Percy, formerly from Capel St Mary and a member of the Capel Plough football team, was one of seven at the Colchester firm to pocket a cool £685,773.42 from the win on November 17.

The printing firm syndicate, led by Karen Radley, 60, was set up about two years ago and had previously never won more than £10.

The winners, which include Anne Oxley, Jackie Fretwell, Diana Cook, Kay Morris, and Mark Greenleaf, gathered at a hotel in Wivenhoe the day after the announcement to share champagne and discuss their dreams as they decide how best to spend their winnings.

Some seemed intent on returning to work while others have firmly set their sights on early retirement.

Mrs Radley said she found out about the win after checking the results on Teletext on Saturday night and, after receiving confirmation from Camelot, gathered the syndicate together to celebrate.

She said: “I didn't sleep all night. I decided not to tell anyone else until Camelot phoned me the next morning to confirm the win.

“When I told the others I got various responses - some broke down and cried, others thought I was winding them up.”

Two of the winners were actually told during their Sunday shift and, despite their best efforts to carry on, they admitted they could not stay focused.

Colchester has now been declared one of the luckiest towns in the country with an unprecedented three jackpot wins within the space of a fortnight.

On November 14 Colchester couple Eileen and Gerald Strange, who both work for CC Discount Heating, scooped a massive £909,414 share of the top prize.

The latest lucky punter was 54-year-old Stephen Spear, who scooped nearly £160,000 on November 24.

A Camelot spokesperson said: “We have never seen two jackpots in one town in a week, let alone a further five plus the bonus ball prize win following that.

“It is unheard of in over 13 years of Lotto history for so many large prizes to be won in one town in such a short space of time.”

Have you scooped a big lottery win before? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.