A LOTTERY syndicate of nurses from Colchester General Hospital has won nearly �80,000.

When Anna Reynolds, manager of a 24-strong syndicate, was woken up at 4am by her excitable three-month-old puppy Duchess, she decided to put her time to good use.

“I thought I’d check the lottery numbers while I was out of bed,” said 55-year-old Anna.

“I don’t normally do it in the middle of the night, and I thought I might still be dreaming when I saw we had got five numbers and the bonus ball.”

The syndicate scooped �79,964 in the Lotto draw on Saturday October 30, providing an early festive surprise of almost �3,500 for each nurse.

Anna, from Colchester, decided to wait until she got to work before breaking the news to the other members of the syndicate who all work on the general medicine Langham ward.

“The reactions from everyone have been lovely and although most people haven’t yet decided how they will be spending the money, most have said that it’s come at a perfect time, just before Christmas,” she said.

Anna, who plans on spending some of her winnings on Christmas treats, has also confirmed that there will be an extra festive present for her golden Labrador Duchess.

“It was Duchess who helped me discover the win so quickly,” Anna said. “So I think that definitely deserves an extra big bone and a bag of doggie treats this Christmas.”

The syndicate plays one line in the Lotto draw every Saturday, and the group has been lucky in the past, with a number of small wins, including more than �2,000 a couple of years ago.

The nurses will continue to play every Saturday and Anna hopes their luck will continue.

“Not surprisingly, we have already had a couple of colleagues asking if they can join,” she added. “Hopefully our lucky numbers will work for us again.”

The winning ticket was bought at Claydon News, in Colchester. The winning numbers on Saturday October 30 were 2, 22, 32, 33, 37 and 45 and the bonus ball was 11.