Millionaires play a belter building cosy animal shelters

The winners spent a day building and decorating animal shelters for animals owned by Lucky Ewe, a National Lottery-funded organisation in Fife. The project gives young Scottish people with additional support needs hands-on experience of farming and animal husbandry, allowing them to get qualifications and potentially paid work.

Five years after it was set up, Lucky Ewe is visited each week by 30 young people between the ages of nine and 22. The project is moving to a new home and its animals will live temporarily at Hillview Animal Park in shelters built by the National Lottery winners.

Libby Elliot from Fife, who won £2.2MMillion on Lotto in 2012, was one of the winners helping out. Libby, who is also a Lucky Ewe trustee, said, “It is just an amazing charity which does so much for the local community. Young people are able to learn so much and develop their confidence and then they can go on to develop a career, which otherwise may not have been possible for them.

“We are so grateful to Hillview Animal Park for stepping in to support us, offering us a space and care for our animals until we move to our new home. We were in desperate need of shelters for our animals as the cold winter months approached – we can never be sure what the weather is going to be doing up here!

“It is wonderful that our kind-hearted National Lottery winners have rallied to build these much-needed shelters. They will certainly ensure all of our ‘extended family’ – as we call our animals – are very well cared for this winter!”

Joining Libby on the build were Fred and Lesley Higgins from Aberdeenshire, who won £58MMillion on EuroMillions in 2018. Also helping out were Barry and Roberta Little from Dumfries, who won £1MMillion on Euromillions in 2013 and Steve Glover from Lybster, who won £1MMillion on Lotto last year.

Other members of the team included Jim and Pam Forbes from Fife, who won £665KThousand on EuroMillions in 2017 and Brian and Ann Sharp from East Lothian, who won £2MMillion on Lotto in 2010. They were joined by Ken and Jannette Wedgeworth from Stranraer, who won £1MMillion on EuroMillions in 2016.

Lesley Higgins said, “Lucky Ewe is a very special charity and one which is very close to all of our hearts. It has been wonderful to be able to play a part in ensuring the animals are well cared for during the cold winter months ahead – and also to work with these amazing young people.”

Craig Holmes, owner of Hillview Animal Park, said, “It has been great to be able to give Lucky Ewe a base here at Hillview Animal Park until they move into their new home. The new shelters are fabulous and will certainly be wonderful homes for the animals of Lucky Ewe during the winter months and for shade during the summer!”

This November marks The National Lottery’s 30th anniversary. Since its launch in 1994, it has made more than 7,200 millionaires or multi-millionaires. On average, seven millionaires are made every week.

By playing The National Lottery you help generate £30MMillion each week for National Lottery-funded projects. Since 1994, more than 690,000 grants have been made to projects across the UK with recipients ranging from local projects like Lucky Ewe to Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

24th October 2024