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After 38 years of marriage, two of the most popular EuroMillions winners of all times, Chris and Colin Weir are getting a divorce. When they scooped their €186 million EuroMillions jackpot back in 2011, the Weirs took some lovely publicity photos holding the oversized cheque together with glasses of champagne in their hands.

Now, eight years after their legendary win, the Scottish couple from Largs, North Ayrshire, has announced that, regretfully, they will be parting ways. The official statement said ‘It is with deep regret that Chris and Colin Weir confirm that they have been living apart for some time and are applying for divorce amicably.”

According to the latest news, Colin Weir signed off their £3-million mansion in Troon, Ayrshire to Chris last year. Then, he purchased a £1.5 million seafront house in the same area, where he will most likely move in. The official statement also said, “They ask that the family’s privacy is respected at this time and there will be no further comment.”

At the time of their win in 2011, the Weirs made the Sunday Times Rich List and over the years, they have used their EuroMillions money to give back to the community. In 2013, the EuroMillions winners set up The Weir Charitable Trust to donate to a local junior football club.

The Patrick Thistle Football Club was in debt, but the Weir’s donation enabled them to continue their activity. Then, Colin Weir became the club’s patron. He donated £1 million to upgrade the facilities and it was eventually rebranded as Thistle Weir Youth Academy.

As a sign of their appreciation, the academy named a section of the Firhill Stadium after him. They also made some very large donations to the Yes Scotland campaign before the 2014 independence referendum, as well as the SNP.

Ade Goodchild, aged 58, a factory worker from Hereford has just come forward to claim the €81.3 million EuroMillions jackpot of March 15^th, 2019. When asked if this astonishing prize would change his life, Mr. Goodchild did not shy away from being honest. He said that his jackpot “bloody well will” change everything.

I’m not one of these winners who is going to say this win won’t change me. It bloody well will or at least I’ll give it a damn good go! There’ll be no more shift work for me.”, said Ade Goodchild.

Mr. Goodchild said that he would be retiring after 24 years as a metal worker without looking back. He already has plans for his EuroMillions fortune. He wants to travel the world and buy a house with an indoor swimming pool and a jacuzzi.

Ade Goodchild is now the 15^th largest lottery winner in UK history. When he checked his ticket, he initially thought he would be sharing the jackpot with other players, but upon a closer look, he found out that he was the sole winner of the €81.3 million fortune.

After getting the big news, he immediately called his parents and told them about the EuroMillions jackpot. They were in complete shock after finding out and Mr. Goodchild thinks that it has yet to sink in for them.

I am an only child and my parents have always been there for me. Like all parents, they worry about my mortgage, bills and how long I will have to work for,” he said. “I’ve told my parents they can stop saving now and spend my inheritance.”

Mr. Goodchild, who is originally from Wales, celebrated by watching the Wales grand slam victory in the rugby championship over Ireland. He purchased his ticket at a Co-op store, and the customers and staff there told the BBC that the jackpot “couldn’t have gone to someone any more deserving”. Congratulations to the big winner!

You can buy anything with a lottery fortune, but probably the most fulfilling thing that you can do with the millions is to invest it in a good cause. While there are more stories about lottery winners who squander their jackpots on eccentric adventures, there are also quite a few about winners who give back. Here are the captivating stories of some EuroMillions winners who have used their fortunes to support some important causes:

Gary McNamara is restoring a marina in Ballina

Gary McNamara is the son of EuroMillions winner Dolores McNamara, who scooped a whopping €115 million back in 2005. He plans to use a part of the family fortune to restore a derelict marina located in Ballina.

This started when he purchased the Killaloe Hotel in the area, which had closed unexpectedly. With this, he has saved as many as 40 jobs. But this seems to be only the beginning. It seems that Mr. McNamara wants to invest as much as €2 million in the restoration process of the entire marina.

At the moment, he is waiting to receive the planning permission from the local authorities. Some of the locals have expressed their concern over matters such as light pollution and unauthorized development.

However, John Mullen, the chairman of the Marine Village Residents’ Association, said that the majority of the residents are actually supportive of Mr. McNamara’s projects. To express their backing of the projects, they have signed a petition.

Gary has been great to communicate with the people and asked our opinions along the way. It will be the best inland marina in Ireland when it’s finished,” said John Mullen.

It remains to be seen how the Ballina projects will proceed, but Mr. McNamara’s intentions are certainly praise-worthy.

Fred and Lesley Higgins are supporting the local community

In July 2018, Fred and Lesley Higgins won a whopping £58 million in the EuroMillions lottery. They came close to missing out on this fortune because when Mr. Higgins went to check his ticket, the clerk initially told him that he hadn’t won anything and he tore up his ticket and binned it. Luckily, the machine then said that he should contact Camelot and he manages to get back the scraps from the trashed.

Now, the Higgins’ are planning to move house. They still live in their house in Laurencekirk, but they will soon move into a 5-bedroom house in the city. This is where they plan to spend most of their time, but they have also purchased a penthouse apartment in Dundee overlooking River Tay.

Aside from their new properties, Fred and Lesley Higgins do not plan to give into the lottery winner lifestyle. In fact, they said they still have their Tesco Clubcard and use discount shopping vouchers on a regular basis. Their biggest plan for their EuroMillions fortune is meeting up with their lawyers to set up a charity trust.

Mrs. Higgins said that they have already helped a few of the local charities in Laurencekirk, but that they have some others in mind as well. “We don’t want to be too prescriptive about it. It would be local charities or smaller charities.”

What they did mention was the Air Ambulance Service, which they regard as being invaluable to the local community. “There’s a lot of people who wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the Air Ambulance Service”.

My preference would also be towards helping young and younger people. I don’t mean just kids but anything between five and 25. It’s a difficult time of life.”, said Mr. Higgins.

As you can see, Gary McNamara and Fred and Lesley Higgins will put their EuroMillions fortunes to good use and help their communities thrive. Congratulations to the industrious winners!