The year was 1994, East 17’s Stay Another Day was riding high in the Christmas Charts and the Power Rangers toys were so popular there was a national shortage.
While some might look back at the era of boybands in baggy hats with a slight wince, one lucky lottery syndicate will forever cherish the year they set up their weekly tilt at the jackpot, to finally see it pay off 30 years later.
Audrey Cobb, 87, and her three children David Cobb, 67, Carol Nobbs, 55, and Sandra Digby, 66, matched five main numbers and the Bonus Ball in the draw on 22 June, winning £1m.
David Cobb, leader of the syndicate, said he had now become the “favourite big brother” after each of the four banked £250,000.
Cobb said: “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.”
Cobb’s wife of 45 years, Linda, checked the national lottery app the morning after the draw and saw a message alerting them to the win.
The overjoyed couple then set off on a 10-mile bike ride to fill the time before claiming the win when the national lottery phone lines opened later that day.
After the win was confirmed, Cobb said he visited his mother to tell her the good news.
“I wanted to tell her and my sisters at the same time but she immediately said ‘have we won the lottery’ so my plan was slightly scuppered,” he said.
The duo called sisters Sandra and Carol, and the later burst into tears knowing “her housing woes were a thing of the past”.
Carol has since searched for and found a new home, while Sandra plans to upgrade her VW polo.
David and his mother are still undecided on their plans for their share but said ensuring the family benefitted was their priority.
Cobb said: “I’ve always been the one to say we will win, I’ve never been in any doubt, so from that Christmas catch-up where 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.”
The Cobb’s syndicate winning Lotto ticket for the draw on 22 June was bought online, using the national lottery app, and the winning numbers were 5, 9, 18, 32, 44 and 58. Their ticket matched five numbers and the number 34 Bonus Ball.
Here we take a look at how the world looked when the family set up their syndicate in December 1994.
Music
Stay Another Day held off stiff competition from Mariah Carey to top the charts as the Christmas No 1 in 1994. The hit from British boyband East 17’s second album, Steam was described by the Guardian’s Ross Jones at the time as “a beautiful thing”.
Toys
Power Ranger shortages caused a frenzied search as parents sought to secure the toys for Christmas. The multibillion-dollar franchise has grown from its beginnings as a TV series in 1993 to one complete with films, video games and comic books in the 30 years since.
Films
Miracle on 34th Street was No 1 in the UK movie box office in Christmas 1994. The Christmas film, which featured Mara Wilson and Richard Attenborough, followed a big year for cinema. Four Weddings and a Funeral, Mrs. Doubtfire and the Flintstones were the highest-grossing films of 1994.
Sport
The 15th Fifa World Cup was held for the first time in the US in 1994, and Brazil defeated Italy in a 3-2 penalty shootout in California. The event was marred by the death of Andrés Escobar, a Colombian footballer whose murder was reportedly retaliation for scoring an own goal during the tournament.
