Funeral tribute to Euromillions winner at Partick Thistle’s stadium
BBC Scotland is reporting that the funeral cortege for EuroMillions winner Colin Weir made an emotional visit to the home of his favourite football team, Partick Thistle.
The procession stopped at Firhill Stadium in Glasgow before continuing on to the funeral service.
Players and staff lined up to pay tribute outside the stadium on Tuesday morning.
Mr Weir, who died aged 71 last month after a short illness, was a lifelong Partick Thistle supporter.
A banner featuring a picture of Mr Weir was on display at the stadium entrance with “Colin Weir, one of our own” written in club colours.
Mr Weir and his then-wife Chris, from Largs in North Ayrshire, claimed the £161m EuroMillions jackpot in July 2011, the highest amount handed out in the UK at the time.
They later described how they stayed awake all night after discovering their good fortune at about midnight as they checked their tickets on the BBC’s Red Button text service.
Mr Weir invested part of his winnings in the club, leading to the youth set-up being re-branded the Thistle Weir Youth Academy and a section of the stadium being named the Colin Weir Stand.
The former TV cameraman secured a majority shareholding at the club in November and promised to give the 55% shareholding directly to a fans group by March 2020.
‘Scottish patriot’
The club dedicated a recent win to him following his death, with players wearing black armbands and fans holding a minute’s applause.
A tribute on the club website stated: “A Scottish patriot, philanthropist and Jags man to the end. Rest In Peace, sadly missed.”
The Weirs donated £1m to the Yes campaign ahead of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and continued donating to the SNP afterwards.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her predecessor Alex Salmond both paid tribute when Mr Weir’s death was announced on 27 December.
The Weirs confirmed they were to divorce after 38 years of marriage last year.