Partick Thistle get helping hand from local lottery winners

Partick Thistle have revealed lottery winners Colin and Christine Weir were among the investors who helped the club wipe out their debts.

The Firhill club previously owed the Bank of Scotland £1.5million but announced last month they had struck a deal to settle their arrears.

Now it has been confirmed the Jags were able to climb out of the red with the help of the Weirs - who became the UK's biggest lottery winners when they scooped #161million in 2011 - and director Billy Allan.

The couple, from Largs, Ayrshire, now each hold a five per cent stake, while they have gifted a further 19.28 per cent shareholding to the newly-established Partick Thistle Football Club Trust.

Allan - who first joined the board in 2009 - has also ploughed cash in for the first time after buying a three per cent stake.

Jags chairman David Beattie said: "First and foremost, I would like to thank each of our new investors on behalf of the club and all of its supporters. Their investment has allowed us to secure the financial stability we promised fans at the start of the season.

"At the time of the debt announcement, I spoke about how the new investors were "Thistle people" and I really can't think of three individuals to whom this tag could be more appropriate. As genuine Partick Thistle fans, they have allowed us to start a new chapter in the history of the club, which I hope will allow us to move on and establish ourselves fully as a Premiership staple for many seasons to come."

Colin Weir and his wife previously handed Thistle a £750,000 cheque to help establish the Thistle Weir Youth Academy in 2011.

And he was happy to help out the club he has supported since childhood once again, saying: "I have been a Jags fan since I was a boy and have spent many hours at Firhill, some of them more enjoyable than others.

"Chris and I are delighted to be part of the collective effort to help the club achieve financial security, no mean feat for any club in Scotland today. We also support the establishment of the Trust to give fans a greater say in their club and were pleased to be in a position to gift shares to it to get it off the ground."

And Allan added: "With the chance for the club to become debt free if new investment was secured, I was happy to step up and do that.

"As a result of all the new investment, the club is in the strongest financial position it's been in for many years and that's great news for all concerned."