Woman wins £1 million on lottery but only takes home £250,000 because of 'pact' she made

Sharing is caring and all of that, but when there's £1 million at play, the majority of people would be a lot more reluctant to give other people a slice of it.

But these lottery winners reckon the fact that they have to divide it among themselves due to a 'pact' they made three decades ago is simply the 'icing on the cake' of their good fortune.

Triumphant Audrey Cobb, 87, has only taken home a quarter of the jackpot rather than the full shebang due to an agreement that she organised with her three kids all the way back in 1994.

Don't worry, this isn't a case of someone's offspring trying to fleece them out of what is rightfully theirs - as siblings David Cobb, 67, his two sisters Carol Nobbs, 55, and Sandra Digby, 60, entered a syndicate with their mum 30 years ago.

And fortunately for these lot, who hail from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, their lucky numbers that they have played all of these years finally came up during the National Lottery draw last Saturday (22 June).

The Cobbs' winning ticket, bought online via the National Lottery app, matched five of the correct digits - which were 5, 9, 18, 32, 44 and 58 - as well as the Bonus Ball, which was 34.

David explained that his wife Linda checked the app to see how they had got on the morning after the draw, when she was greeted by a message informing her of the million pound win - which she had a hilarious reaction to.

He said: "She calmly said to me, ‘David, I think you’d better have a look at this’."

The Cobbs' have honoured their 30-year commitment to the lotto syndicate they set up in 1994. (PA)

David laughed: "To be honest, I was a bit grumpy and couldn’t be bothered to find my glasses - but when your wife of 45 years uses ‘that’ voice and says, ‘no, you really need to read this’, you know you’d better find your glasses!"

After grabbing his specs, David was left stunned to find out that they had won the life-changing sum - however, instead of immediately popping the champagne like you would expect, he and his wife headed out on a 10-mile bike ride.

The couple weren't contemplating what they were going to spend the cash on during their cycling session though, but were simply just killing time until the National Lottery phone lines opened later on that day.

David and Linda couldn't just run off in to the sunset with their new found fortune either, as he had signed up to a lotto syndicate 'as a joke' with his mum Audrey and sisters Carol and Sandra during a Christmas catch up back in 1994.

Now, the brood are laughing all the way to the bank - with a £250,000 slice of the prize money each, as they kept their 30-year promise to split any winnings that their single ticket brought about.

After returning from his first and last bike ride as a millionaire, David then broke the brilliant news to his loved ones.

He explained: "I told mum I had some good news and wanted to tell her and my sisters at the same time, she immediately said, ‘Have we won the Lottery?’ So my plan was slightly scuppered.

The family say the fact they are sharing their winnings is the 'icing on the cake' of their triumph. (PA)

"We called Carol and Sandra on a group call - Sandra was at the allotment and was so shocked by the news a fellow gardener had to pop over to make sure she didn’t faint, while Carol just burst into tears knowing that her housing woes were a thing of the past."

The 67-year-old has no qualms about sharing the cash either, as he reckons it's made the win that bit sweeter.

He continued: "From that Christmas catch-up when we jokingly set up the syndicate a few months after the first Lotto draw in November 1994, I've been waiting for this moment.

"To be able to share it with my family is the icing on the cake, and to see that it will help the wider family is the cherry on top. It was an incredible moment - especially for my sister Carol, who has had a tough few years and thought she would never have her own home again.

"We’ve had some small wins along the way, but I was definitely the favourite big brother when I told my sisters I was giving them each £250,000."

David explained that sister Sandra has been shopping around for a new set of wheels to upgrade from her VW Polo, while Carol has already found a new home to move into - but he and Audrey aren't sure what they will splash the cash on.