From lotto win to Largs legacy – 15 years since Weirs’ £161m EuroMillions jackpot

The Inverclyde View couple became the toast of the town in July 2011 as stunned locals realised the record-breaking jackpot winners were living right on their doorstep.

At the time, it was calculated that the overjoyed pair could have comfortably afforded to buy every property in Largs – some £16.3 million worth, according to Rightmove – and still have nine‑tenths of their windfall left, enough to purchase Wee Cumbrae dozens of times over.

Euromillions winners Colin and Chris Weir donated to many local causes. (Image: NQ)

The revelation triggered “lotto fever” as hopeful residents flocked to McColl’s in Moorburn Road, where the winning ticket was bought, in the hope of repeating the Weirs’ incredible stroke of luck.

What has endured, however, is not just the size of the prize but the scale of their generosity.

Our front page from July 2011 (Image: NQ)

Colin and Christine quickly embraced local causes, backing a series of projects ranging from grassroots football and iconic heritage to individual ambition in the arts.

They bankrolled a £700,000 all‑weather football pitch at Barrfields Park, where Colin was made honorary president of Largs Thistle, and answered an SOS from the paddle steamer Waverley in a move that played a pivotal role in ensuring the famous vessel still visits the Firth of Clyde today.

Euromillions winners Colin and Chris Weir donated to many local causes. (Image: NQ)

Their support also extended to personal dreams, including a £50,000 sponsorship which allowed artist Lee Craigmile to attend the Florence Academy of Art in Italy.

Haylie House residential care home was also able to undertake substantial improvements as a result of generous backing from the pair.

Inverclyde Sports Centre gained a new £1.7m Weir 3G indoor sports pitch, and upgraded all‑weather tennis courts, helping to keep the complex central to sportscotland’s plans.

How we reported on the EuroMillions win (Image: NQ)

How we reported on the EuroMillions win (Image: NQ)

The improvements, including disabled access to the courts, secured the area’s status as a year‑round hub for tennis, football, rugby and walking football, and supported jobs in the town as well as stronger links with nearby Largs Campus.

And Largs Events received £10,000 from the Colin Weir Charitable Foundation for the decorative Christmas lights in Main Street in 2024.

Even seven years after Colin’s death in 2019, the legacy of that life‑changing win continues to ripple through the community.

Haylie House Residential Care Home benefitted from investment from the Weirs. (Image: NQ)

Tiffany Irvin, of the Largs Thistle club committee, told the News how one of the funds established following the EuroMillions success helped save a crucial project for the club by providing the final piece of funding needed for new floodlights and SFA membership.

She said: “We were short of the final amount to get the floodlights in and we had exhausted every avenue open to us when someone suggested, why don’t we try the Colin Weir Charitable Foundation.

“I reached out to them and told them that we were near completion in getting the lights installed and they helped us get across the line.

“The SFA were not going to give their funding until the other funds were in place and the foundation were excellent and replied right away, and it allowed us to start the works.

“It means that the facility can be used by the community club all year round. We needed to prove we had secured all the funding and it was really the Colin Weir Foundation Trust that got us over the line.

“We have so much to be grateful for from Colin Weir, from the original pitch to now helping us secure our SFA licence status.”

Euromillions winners Colin and Chris Weir donated to many local causes. (Image: NQ)

On the Clyde, Waverley general manager Paul Semple recalled how the couple’s backing arrived just as the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer was facing a bleak winter.

He said: “We were running a public appeal through 2011 to raise £350,000 as we were expecting a shortfall that coming winter.

“Some money had come in but it was becoming very concerning that we were not going to get a winter refit, and then the Weirs came to the rescue and gave us £350,000 that winter.

“It was a huge relief to everyone involved. I think they kindly gave the Waverley the money on the basis they knew how important it was to Largs and the economy, and that was one of the main pick‑up points, as people boarding the Waverley or departing would be spending money in Largs.

Waverley SOS appeal was answered by the Weirs who donated £700,000 to keep the world famous paddlesteamer running. (Image: Waverley Excursions)

“Amazingly, in 2012, they came back and gave us a further donation for another £350,000 – they came on board and spent some time with the staff and the crew. Their generosity was amazing and it was completely unsolicited – they approached us having seen our appeal and it was really a lovely story.”

Former Inverclyde Sports Centre principal John Kent also remembers how a chance conversation with the couple turned into long‑term investment in the national training venue perched above the town.

He said: “Living in Inverclyde View, they were neighbours to the sports pitches and the first thing they invested in was the new astroturf surfacing for the all‑weather tennis courts.

“It used to have five‑a‑side football and was very much on its last legs, and that was a great boost.

“The tennis courts are still very much in use today, and used by Largs Tennis Club. They also provided the disabled access to the courts, so they were very much ahead of their time.

“They then invested in the Weir 3G indoor pitch, which has had fabulous use from Largs walking footballers, to rugby and football. It was very much the missing piece of the jigsaw – and it all came about from a conversation we had with Colin and Christine, who asked us if there was anything they could help us with.

Euromillions winners Colin and Chris Weir donated to many local causes including the £1.7m Weir 3G (Image: NQ)

“Not long after the new Inverclyde Sports Centre was built in 2017, we had a visit from Prince Edward, in his capacity as patron of the Paralympic Association, and he was quite amazed upon seeing the hall tucked away in the trees on top of what was already on site.

“Their generous investment in Inverclyde Sports Centre helped secure the future of the sports complex.”

Fifteen years on from that extraordinary EuroMillions draw, the Weirs’ legacy lives on in floodlit pitches, packed sports halls, cherished sailings on the Clyde and the careers and opportunities opened up for people across Largs and beyond.

For many in the town, Colin and Chris Weir’s story is no longer just about a jackpot – it is about how that sudden wealth was used, quietly and consistently, to change lives.