LOTTERY winner Adrian Bayford has revealed he’s added a Champagne-inspired vineyard to raise the value of his estate.
The lucky Brit became one of England’s biggest-ever EuroMillions winner after he scooped up a whopping £148million jackpot in 2012.
Adrian, 53, has now added what appears to be Meunier grape vines to his £12million country estate.
This is one of the three main varieties used to make Champagne, but because it is not from the French region, his fizz can’t carry the name.
The move appears to be positive for Adrian as the region is tipped to be profitable as the climate here gets warmer.
Jane Clare, of wine blog One Foot in the Grapes, said: “If Mr Bayford is planting grapes to make fizz, he’ll be adding his own sparkle to our home-grown wines which are taking off.
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“As our climate gets warmer, it is easier to ripen these grapes to a quality which in turn can create quality sparkling wines.”
The ex-postie recently took his £12million pad off the market after failing to find a buyer.
Adrian hopes this new business venture will improve the property’s saleability.
His friends say the move was inspired by his fiancée, Tracey Biles, 45, who has transformed the grounds since moving into Adrian’s estate on the Suffolk/Essex border.
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One said: “It’s fantastic to see Adrian using his fortune to explore new ventures.
“It shows what a fantastic influence Tracey is on him.
“Hopefully we’ll all be able to buy Chateau Bayford soon.”
The English wine industry produced 22million bottles last year, up from 5.3million in 2017.
Unlike Adrian, this man revealed he kept his old job after he split a £22million lotto jackpot win.
MILLIONAIRE GLAZER
Mark Gardiner from Hastings, East Sussex shared the staggering sum alongside his friend Paul Maddison in 1995.
The pair ran a small glazing business together, which Paul soon ditched after winning big.
However, Mark continued to work and has done so for the last 30 years.
It was his way of not letting the £11million go to his head, he claims.
Mark would invest his winnings into his business and also splashed out on a Grade II listed mansion, a holiday home and cars,
Unfortunately, the win spelt the end of his and Paul’s friendship and the two would never speak again.
Paul Madison sadly died last year, just months after his wife Evelyn died aged 62.
It comes after Britain’s second-biggest lottery winners announced they are launching an investment fund.
Joe and Jess Thwaite won an eye-watering £184million in the EuroMillions jackpot in 2022.
The couple revealed they planned on investing in their new company, Issodola, hoping it would make them even richer.
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The business is to invest clients’ money in stocks and other securities and will be run by wealth manager Evelyn Partners, which looks after PM Rishi Sunak’s tax returns.
Investors would have to put down a whopping £500,000 and will need to pay additional fees of £46,000 each year.
UK’s biggest lottery winners
By Ethan Singh
- Anonymous winner – £195,707,000
A UK ticket-holder scooped the record EuroMillions jackpot of £195 million on July 19 2022 – the biggest National Lottery win of all time.
The holder, who remains anonymous to this day, amassed the fortune with just one lucky ticket.
- Joe and Jess Thwaite – £184,262,899.10
Britain’s previous EuroMillions record holders were Joe and Jess Thwaite.
The couple won a record-breaking £184million jackpot in May 2022 and shared hopes of a Hawaiian holiday and a new horse box for their children’s ponies.
Joe bought his winning ticket online on May 10, 2022, and the following morning received an email with good news.
As he learnt of the huge win, he was in disbelief and initially kept it for himself as he did not want to disturb his wife, who was sleeping.
Joe, a communications sales engineer, and Jess, who runs a hairdressing salon with her sister, have been married for 11 years and have two children.
- Colin and Chris Weir, £161,653,000
Colin and Christine Weir landed the colossal prize money in 2011 and were Europe’s second-biggest winners until someone in Italy won a jackpot worth £193m in 2019.
They splashed the cash at an astounding rate of £100,000 a week before tragedy struck.
But at the time of Colin’s death in December 2019, his share of the prize money had dwindled by around £40m.
He spent millions living a life of luxury, forking out for sports cars, property and the football club he supported.
Colin and Christine divorced shortly before his death after being married for 38 years.
He left money for their children Carly and Jamie.
- Adrian and Gillian Brayford – £148,600,000
Adrian and Gillian won 190 million euros in a EuroMillions draw in August 2012, which came to just over £148 million.
But Adrian split from Gillian the following year because of the stress of the win.
The couple bought a Grade II listed estate in Cambridgeshire, complete with a cinema and billiards room, but it was sold in 2021.
After divorcing in 2013, he failed to woo ex-sausage factory worker Marta Jarosz — but fell for stable girl Sam Burbidge.
She left him in 2017, taking 30 prize horses Adrian bought.
It might have worked out in the end for Adrian though as the former postman was seen smiling with ambulance worker Tracey Biles last year.
- Frances and Patrick Connolly – £114,969,775
Former social worker and teacher Frances set up two charitable foundations after she and her husband hit the jackpot.
They scooped almost £115 million on New Year’s Day 2019.
She estimates that she has already given away £60 million to charitable causes, as well as friends and family.
- Richard and Debbie Nuttall – £61,000,000
The couple from Colne, Lancashire, took home £61 million on January 30 2024.
Both 54, they were enjoying a holiday in Fuerteventura, celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary.
But they then discovered the big EuroMillions win.
Richard revealed they originally thought they had won £2.60, but then received another email telling the pair to check their account.
Other eye-watering anonymous winners:
- 2019 – £123million
Another anonymous winner scooped up a prize of £123,458,008 in the June Superdraw rollover.
- 2021 – £122million
Following nine rollovers, one ticketholder bagged the £122,550,350 jackpot last April.
The successful participant chose to remain anonymous.
- 2018 – £121million
Another anonymous winner found their fortune during the Superdraw jackpot rollover in April 2018, securing £121,328,187.
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Karim Camara
