Euromillions jackpot winner Adrian Bayford is creating his own private forest on his sprawling 189-acre estate in Cambridgeshire. The 55-year-old former postman, who won £148 million with his then-wife Gillian in 2012, has planted 1,500 trees as part of a rewilding project called Project WildRoots, which has been three years in the making.
Bayford is inviting schools to visit the estate, which already includes a smallholding with an allotment, greenhouses, goats, and pigs. He has also applied for planning permission to convert outbuildings at the Grade II-listed mansion into an educational site for local charities and schools, after scrapping earlier plans for a children's theme park following criticism.
The proposed educational centre aims to immerse students in nature, providing a calming environment to reduce anxiety and improve focus. Plans include studios, a classroom, an event space, and a livestock section, along with ten bat boxes and ten owl boxes. Council departments and Natural England have approved the plans subject to conditions.
Bayford has previously submitted plans for 106 solar panels on a barn roof to power the £6.5 million estate. He also hosts events such as rock festivals and Christmas gatherings, runs an Airbnb and a vineyard, and sells Christmas trees from his front lawn.
Bayford and his ex-wife Gillian became the UK's second-biggest lottery winners in 2012 but split the following year. He has since been linked to several women, including stable girl Sam Burbidge and ambulance worker Tracey Biles.
