Gillian Bayford won the National Lottery winner who along with her former husband famously won £148 million in 2012 and became Britain's second largest jackpot winner in its history. She has since shown her magnanimity when she purchased a home for a disabled boy.
Gillian had come across Jenny McMillan and was touched her efforts to raise funds for her son, Blake, a four-year-old boy who suffers from the disability known as MECP2 Duplication Syndrome. The disorder is a neurological ailment which attacks the ability to walk, sit upright or even speak. Blake also suffers from pneumonia due to a weakened immune system as well as seizures.
Jenny was inconsolable when Gillian showed support for her son. Gillian became aware that Jenny's home was not suitable for the needs of young Blake, prompting her to purchase a more disable friendly home.
“I was totally in awe that Gillian would do something like this," said a teary-eyed Jenny. “I’ll be paying rent but Gillian didn’t have to do something like this. She’s doing me a massive favour. I was in tears when she told me. I’m so grateful."
“I’ll be able to look after Blake in a safe and secure environment and it means the world. In this house, I can always be within eyeshot of Blake. Gillian has given me peace of mind.”
Gillian went on to describe her first meeting with Jenny and how she came to respect her ordeals. “Jenny came in and said she was looking for a house in the area and I said I’d keep an eye out for anything that came up. A couple of weeks later it came to light that a house on the high street was going back on the market.
“A&G Properties has offered, and she’s kindly accepted, that we will pay for the balance of the upgrade and work that needs to be carried out as a Christmas present, I suppose, to Blake. It then allows any money Jenny has fundraised to go to finding a treatment. Jenny is a complete inspiration. She works so hard and if the fact that I, and the girls here, can help bring Blake here then we’ll do it.”
“Everyone in Carnoustie knows Blake. I think this will perk everyone in the town up. I contribute to a lot of children’s charities, however, it’s nice to be doing something back in my hometown. It’s such a wonderful cause.”
Gillian's former husband, Adrian Bayford, made headlines for the wrong reasons two months ago when news surfaced that he evicted an old friend who happened to suffer from a disability herself. Gillian's deeds have gone a long way from divorcing herself from the negativity of her former husband's bad press as well as her failed relationship with him.