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Colin Weir – Spending One Of The UK’s Largest Lottery Winnings

In 2011, Colin and Chris Weir struct it lucky and won a monstrous £161 million via playing the EuroMillions Lottery. Having lived quietly their whole lives, they were determined that others should also benefit from their good fortune. And so they set up a charitable foundation that would allow them to support needy causes, as well as those they loved. Partick Football Club was one of the first recipients. In the 8 years before Colin's untimely death in 2019, he gave away more than £40 million.

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Colin Weir – UK’s EuroMillions Millionaires

Just over a decade ago in 2011, Colin Weir managed to win £161 million from the EuroMillions jackpot. He shared the prize with his wife whose name was Chris. Today we thought we’d take a look at both the EuroMillions lottery, as well as how this ginormous prize changed the lives of both Colin and Chris Weir.

First launched in 2002, and has been active in the UK since 2005, the EuroMillions is definitely one of the most popular online lottery’s in the UK today. It’s actually owned by Lottery Company Limited. It also has a reputable licence from the UK Gambling Commission, which ensure that it is correctly regulated.

If you head over to the EuroMillions website, you’ll find that it’s very easy to use. Even those with little computer knowledge can find their way around. If you’re the type that’s always on the go, and who isn’t, then you can simply download the EuroMillions app to your mobile phone. So it’s an easy way to win the jackpot online. This lottery is very popular as it gives out prizes of up to €200,000 and more. But the prize that was pocketed by Colin and Chris Weir was by far one of the biggest registered jackpot wins in UK history.

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Colin and Chris Weir – EuroMillions Jackpot Winners

The Weirs live in North Ayrshire. The lottery win of £161 million made them 1 of 5 lotto millionaires for a while. Chris was working as a psychiatric nurse, while Colin was a TV cameraman and studio manager. As a couple, they’ve been married for over 30 years, during which time they raised two children, who are now grown up

Colin and Chris Weir’s Win

The lottery draw was held on a Tuesday night. That evening Chris and Colin were having a quiet night while watching TV. They had seen the Euro Lottery that night. But they were in no hurry to check the results as, like many lottery players, it always seemed as if someone else must have won it. Nevertheless, at around midnight Chris checked the ticket and found that their numbers matched the winning combination. They later told the media that when they realised they had won, they thought they were dreaming. Unable to sleep the whole night thanks to the euphoria. And also due to the practical reason that the Camelot claims line was closed until the following morning.

The Weir family did not request to remain anonymous and within a few hours, they were plastered all over the media in both the UK and Scotland. After all, they had set a new lottery winning record with £161 million from the EuroMillions. Lotto news says that the highest record before them was set by Angela Kelly from East Kilbride. She was the previous biggest lottery winner in Scotland having one £35 million from the Euro Millions. Their huge jackpot instantly put them at 430th place on the Sunday Times Rich List. Just how rich were they? Well, the people directly above them in the Rich List were David and Victoria Beckham.

Weirs EuroMillions Winning Numbers

When they discovered they had won, they checked and rechecked their numbers. Chris was later to say that they had bought 5 Lucky Dips. They checked their results by circling the numbers matching the EuroMillions results on TV. But it was only on the 5th line that they realised that all the circles matched those of the EuroMillions results. For those of you who wish to know the actual numbers, they were 17,19, 38, 42, and 45, plus the Lucky Stars which were numbers 9 and 10. They claimed to have no jackpot winning strategies. You too could win the EuroMillions by playing online using theLotter.

How Did the Weir Family Spend The Jackpot?

It goes without saying that Colin and Chris Weir were very excited about being the recipients of the biggest lottery win in the UK. But rather than just thinking about spending it on luxury items they had bigger plans. Of course, with such a ginormous win, they did buy a new home for themselves, as well as new homes for their two children. Having been plagued by both ill health and debt, they were finally able to cover those expenses with their winnings. Chris and Colin decided from the very beginning that they would use the lucky money towards charity work. Later on, they would discover that just giving generously can lead to both public praise, as well as unfair and unwanted criticism.

Weir Charitable Trust

In 2013 Colin and Chris Weir set up the Weir Charitable Trust. This was designed to fund and support many different services and projects which included recreational facilities, animal welfare and sport. The Weir Charitable Trust doesn’t sponsor capital projects with over £100,000 or commercial ventures. Likewise, they do not sponsor individuals. Also, the trust doesn’t sponsor events that are designed to raise money for charity. That’s because anyone can apply for funding if you’re part of a Scottish based community group or a small charity. Anyone can go to Weir’s website where you find detailed information and instructions for the application and approval of all charitable causes that they might wish to support.

Partick Thistle Football Club Donation

All his life, Colin Weir was a very big local football fan. He supported the Jags from the Partick Thistle Community Football Club which was in Largs. What’s interesting is that when the Weirs won the lottery, the first major investment was in this football club. As you can imagine, it was an extremely well-received grand gesture and led to the youth club being rebranded the Thistle Weir Youth Academy. The Partick Thistle Firhill Stadium was also renamed after him and is now called the Colin Weir Stand.

SNP Donation Accusations

As you’re probably aware, there is an independent party in Scotland called the Scottish National Party( SMP). In fact, this is Scotland’s largest political party with its head being Nicola Sturgeon, who’s the First Minister of Scotland. Now the SNP both campaigns and supports the idea of Scotland’s independence from the UK. Obviously, they were very unhappy with Brexit and would wish to renew their membership in the European Union as soon as possible.

The SMP has many supporters from across Scotland, those included Colin and Chris Weir. In fact, they have given around £3 million to the party and it’s a pro-independence campaign called “Yes Scotland.” Nevertheless, the couple was falsely accused of giving nothing to the SMP. This led to an online hate campaign that consisted of threats and personal attacks. In the end, Colin and Chris Weir had to approach the media and present proof that they had actually contributed to both the SNP, as a political party, and its running campaign for independence. They also stated that they were lifetime supporters of Scottish independence. The whole sorry saga was very sad, and led to Colin describing it as both absurd and “downright nasty.”

Colin and Chris Weir’s Divorce

In spite of having been married for over 30 years, it came as a shock for everybody when they announced in 2019 they would be getting a divorce. By choosing not to remain anonymous, they had opened themselves up to the huge pressures of being in the spotlight literally, 24/7. In spite of being a very strong family, their charity work and political donations all added to the extra pressure. Also on top of that was the fact that both Colin and Chris were quite seriously ill. They both spoke together to the Scottish Sun and said that they had been living apart for a number of months. The divorce was amicable, though there is little information as to why they decided to take this route. Nevertheless, it’s thought that their illnesses also played a major part.

Colin Weir’s Death

At the end of 2019, Colin Weir died. He passed away after a short illness at the age of 71. We have no information regarding the cause of death, and Chris Weir has not added any comments about the tragedy. Many people were saddened by Colin’s death. In reality, he had been a larger than life character and his generosity had affected thousands of people. Nicola Sturgeon mentioned her sadness of his passing in the Scottish Parliament. Partick Thistle FC said they are sending love and prayers to the family and close friends. A few days after the announcement, a minute’s applause was held at the Partick Thistle game in order to acknowledge Collins’ passing a few days previously.

The Weir Family Now

According to the latest lottery news, there has been very little information about the Weir family since Chris passed away. One thing we are more clear about and that’s a clarification on the cause of death. According to the Sun newspaper, it was due to kidney failure. All in all, Colin Weir spent around £40 million during the 8 years before he passed. And the money went towards his favourite football club, as well as many charities. They bought four luxury cars and spent £1.1 million on a seafront home in Ayr. All his money passed to his then-wife and two grown children.

As for where and what Chris is doing these days, no one really knows, as she is keeping both her and her family’s heads firmly under the radar. Nevertheless, the Weir Charitable Trust is still active. If you have a good cause or charity that needs funding, you can apply before the end of August every year. If you fancy your chances of being the next lottery big winner, then we suggest that you head over to theLotter. Here you’ll find every major lottery from around the world, including Powerball, MegaMillions, and of course, the EuroMillions.