Lotto winner’s final visit to beloved club

EUROMILLIONS WINNER Colin Weir made a final visit to his favourite football team as his funeral cortege stopped outside Partick Thistle’s ground.

Mr Weir, inset, and his thenwife 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.

The 71-year-old invested part of his winnings in the club, leading to the youth set-up being rebranded 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 per cent shareholding directly to a fans group by March 2020.

The procession paused at Firhill Stadium in Glasgow, where players and staff lined up to pay tribute to the lifelong fan before the hearse continued on to the funeral service at Partick Burgh Hall.

Thistle manager Ian McCall was in attendance with the playing squad as well as club figures including chief executive Gerry Britton, former Scotland goalkeeper Alan Rough and Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell, who appeared for the Jags in his playing days.

The club dedicated a recent win to him following his death, with players wearing black armbands and fans holding a minute’s applause. Outside the stadium entrance, a banner with a picture of Mr Weir was on display with the phrase “Colin Weir, one of our own” written in club colours.

In a tribute, the club described him as a “Scottish patriot, philanthropist and Jags man to the end”.

The Weirs also donated £1m to the Yes campaign ahead of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Earlier this year, the Weirs confirmed they would divorce after 38 years of marriage.