Lottery winners worth £100million volunteer to clean up Scots beach

LOTTERY winners with a combined fortune of over £100million took to the beach today to clean up.

Lucky millionaire winners from across Scotland grabbed litter pickers and swept up the sands on Troon beach in Ayrshire, in a bid to give back to their communities with Keep Scotland Beautiful.

Alison and John Doherty, from East Kilbride scooped £14million on the Lotto back in 2016.

Alison, 58, said the fortune changed their lives, but they’ve never forgotten where they came from. 

She said: “It’s been wonderful and we are so lucky to have won the lottery but I used to to come to Troon Beach as a wee girl so it was lovely to be back here and giving something back.”

Libby Elliot, from Fife, won the lottery in 2012, scooping £2.2million. She said: “Winning the lottery is like a very beautiful bereavement. You lose your old life and your life becomes something else, but for the better. 

“The amount of plastic we have picked up was eye opening but I’m glad we are able to do this and help our communities.” 

Fred Higgins, 74, from Perthshire is one of the UK’s biggest ever winners, scooping £57.9million on Euromillions in 2018.

He said becoming rich beyond his wildest dreams hasn’t changed him.

“It changes things for you but I wouldn’t say I have changed. I was already retired but it meant my wife could retire early.”

Fred says despite the windy coastline conditions, he enjoyed mucking in.

He said: “I cannot believe some of the items we have picked up. It’s quite unbelievable what gets washed up on our beautiful beaches.”

Joining Fred and Alison and John and Libby were Pam and Jim Forbes, from Fife, who won £665,000 on EuroMillions in 2017; Brian and Ann Sharp, from East Lothian, who won £2million on Lotto, in 2010; Barry and Roberta Little, from Dumfries, who won £1million in 2013; Ken and Jeanette Wedgeworth, from Loch Ryan, who won £1million in 2016; Fiona and Bill McKenna, from Dunbartonshire, who won £1.2million on Lotto, in 2012; Jake and Barbara Bowman, from Forfar, who won £10.3million on Lotto, in 2016; Alan and Claire Gray, from Tranent, who won £1million in 2019 and Steve Glover, from Lybster, who won £1million on Lotto last year.

Barry Fisher, CEO at Keep Scotland Beautiful, who also joined winners on the beach clean, said: “It has been a very successful morning and we have really enjoyed working with the local National Lottery winners to help make a difference to this stretch of much-loved coastline. 
 
“Our charitable work aims to inspire behaviour change to improve our environment, the quality of people’s lives, their well-being and the places they love.

“By carrying out litter picks we help to keep Scotland just that little bit more beautiful for us all – and I would like to thank everyone for their support.”