Euromillions Lottery Winners Chris And Colin Weir Donate Winnings To Scotland's Yes Campaign

Lottery Winners Give Winnings To Yes Campaign

A couple who won £161 million on the EuroMillions lottery have given £2.5million to Scotland's pro-independence campaign in the past year, donation figures have revealed.

SNP supporters Chris and Colin Weir, who claimed the prize in 2011, have each given £1.25million to the Yes Campaign since April 1 2013.

It follows their £1million donation to the campaign the previous year.

The Euromillions duo have given £2.5million of their winnings to the Yes Campaign

Yes Scotland said that it has received more than £3million in donations in the past year.

More than 11,000 donors have each given up to £7,500, totalling £473,000.

A further £2,678,000 has been given in larger donations from seven individual supporters.

Yes Scotland chief executive Blair Jenkins said: "We greatly appreciate and are hugely encouraged by the thousands of people across Scotland who have made donations - both large and small - according to their financial means."

Earlier this month the Weirs defended their decision to donate funds to the pro-independence campaign.

In a letter published in some Scottish newspapers, the couple said: "We appreciate that not everyone shares our political view.

''That surely is the point of democracy. And, in a democracy, we each have the right to support political campaigns of our choosing and to contribute financially, provided we do so in line with the rules.

''As lifelong supporters of independence, it would be strange if we did not support the Yes Scotland campaign. So that is what we have done, nothing more and nothing less.''

The others who gave large donations were Randall Foggie, who gave £60,000 and Dan Macdonald and Mark Shaw who donated £50,000 each.

Norman Easton donated £10,000 while Mary McCabe gave £8000.

Yes Scotland was officially launched on May 25, 2012.

Close

What's Hot