Euromillion Winners The Weirs Set Up Charitable Trust

Chris and Colin Weir, the winners of the £161 million Euromillions jackpot in July 2011 have formally recognised their commitment to helping others by setting up The Weir Charitable Trust. Several months ago, we listed just some of the charitable endeavours the Weirs had supported since their immense lottery win, which ranged from donation, sponsorship and funding for areas including politics, art and sport. Now, in order to formalise their commitments to helping others, they have set up a Trust, where Scottish individuals, charities and groups can formally apply for funding.

The Weir’s have initially invested £5 million into the Trust, and are accepting invitations every three months from those bidding for investment. There are some qualifying criteria that applicants must meet, including that all funds must go to Scottish residents and stay within Scotland, but the range of applications accepted is very broad. There is no minimum or maximum which can be applied for, and payments are made at the discretion of the Trust.

They have defined the key areas of their funding to be:

• Sport
• Recreational facilities
• Animal Welfare
• Health
• Culture

Applications will be accepted from Scottish individuals, groups, charities which are established or newly formed. However, the applicants must be able to show they have not been able to achieve funding from elsewhere. The Trust will not fund charity sponsorships or fundraising (so if you are thinking about approaching them for the 5K Fun Run you are planning, that’s out), nor will they accept applications form those requiring release from debt, suffering redundancy or to pay legal fees. They also will not pay out retrospectively, so if you are a group who has just paid for a brand new computer on the credit card, unfortunately you cannot back date your request.

After we hear so many bad luck stories about lottery winners, it is truly inspirational to hear about a success story like the Weirs, who embody the spirit of the lottery winner. And there is surely not a single person who could doubt their commitment to using their good luck to help others. We at online-lotto wish them the best of luck with the Trust.

You can visit the website for the Weir’s Trust at www.weircharitabletrust.com.