Friday 13th turned out to be the luckiest day ever for a band of 16 almost-strangers from Bridgend, as they bagged a life-changing £3,613,997 on EuroMillions. The ‘West Is Best Syndicate’ received an incredible sum of just over £212k each.
Rhian Owen (44), formed the syndicate with a handful of her work colleagues at Bridgend Council where she worked in the West Hub – where the syndicate got its name. Continuing the syndicate once she left the job, she posted on Facebook looking for new members – and that’s when the group blossomed into an eclectic mix of people, including old friends, family members, and even her former rugby coach. While Rhian remained at its heart, many of the group have never met.
Rhian discovered the win early on Saturday morning. “My alarm went off and I checked my emails and saw I’d won a prize on The National Lottery – but I didn’t think much of it,” she explained. “Then on the way to work, I stopped outside a shop as I had something in the back of my head nagging at me to check my account. When I logged in, I saw it said ‘claim your prize’ – and when I scrolled down and saw all the numbers matched, I was in complete shock! I immediately video called my sister, who’s also in the syndicate, and we just couldn’t stop screaming. I still went to work because I didn’t know what else to do – but I ended up going home early as I was in a bit of a daze.”
The excited syndicate leader then revealed the life-changing news to the rest of the syndicate via a Facebook group chat and received a steady stream of incredible and colourful reactions.
Rhian already knows how she’ll be using her winnings: “I’m going to do up my house at last – it’s been on my list for years! I’ve also booked a family holiday in October and we’re planning a bigger trip with all my sisters, brother and parents, it’s just incredible knowing we can do this together now.”
Other members of the syndicate are equally excited about their plans:
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Wayne Jenkins, Rhian’s former rugby coach, is jetting off to Spain for a month and plans to gift money to his grown-up daughters.
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Nicola Butler, an ex-colleague, found out about the win on the same day her husband left his job. The money has now taken a lot of the stress away and they are now planning a much-needed family holiday.
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Tracey Harry, Rhian’s sister, is buying a campervan, helping out her three children, and looking into dental procedures.
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Jayne Owen, Rhian’s other sister, plays two lines and therefore walked away with double the winnings. She’s already bought a campervan and plans to get some dental work done. She said that the win couldn’t have come at a better time for her.
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Jayne Davies, a close family friend, has battled with health problems and has used her winnings to fund a private knee replacement.
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Liann Gregory, Rhian’s lifelong best friend, is giving money to her three adult children, making some home improvements, and buying a caravan for the whole family to enjoy.
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Louise Fahey, another of Rhian’s close friends, is taking a more measured approach – she’s investing in a rental property for long-term financial security and will be helping out her children.
The syndicate’s win was even more remarkable because the EuroMillions jackpot had reached its cap of £208M, meaning additional prize money from ticket sales rolled down into the next prize tier – significantly boosting their prize. The estimated prize for matching five main numbers and one Lucky Star in a draw without a roll down is £130,554.30. In contrast, the syndicate’s £3.6M win is roughly 27 times higher.
The West Is Best syndicate came together for a big celebration at a local Bridgend pub, The Blaenogwr, where they were joined by family and friends. For many of the syndicate members this was their first time meeting each other.
Andy Carter, Senior Winners Advisor at Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, exclaimed, “Huge congratulations to the West Is Best Syndicate! This win is not just a celebration of good fortune, but also a brilliant example of how The National Lottery brings people together – in this case, from all walks of life and corners of Rhian’s world. I hope they all enjoy their winnings and make unforgettable memories with their friends and families.”
West Is Best syndicate play 17 Lucky Dips on EuroMillions every Friday, each member plays one line apart from Jayne Owen who plays two. Winnings from each draw were put towards tickets for the next draw as EuroMillions continued to roll. They matched 5 Main Numbers and 1 Lucky Star number in the EuroMillions draw on 13 June 2025. The winning numbers for the draw were 2, 28, 40, 43, 45 and the Lucky Star numbers were 3 and 7.
Playing any National Lottery game is more than just a chance to win; it’s a way to contribute to something much bigger. Each week, players help generate around £30M for National Lottery-funded projects. With over £50BN raised for Good Causes since launch, this funds hundreds of projects in every postcode area across the UK.
