By . John Stevens . PUBLISHED: . 08:13 EST, 25 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:27 EST, 26 April 2013 . They may regret saying it, but the winners of a £148million lottery jackpot insist they read every single begging letter they receive. Gillian and Adrian Bayford get between 30 and 40 requests for money a week – and they consider them all. Speaking for the first time since their win last summer, Mrs Bayford, 40, said: ‘We do get a lot of letters, but in this world if you don’t ask, you don’t know. ‘You can’t condemn anybody for asking. It takes a lot of guts just to ask somebody for money, to just to come out and say it. Scroll down for video . Bulging postbag: Gillian and Adrian Bayford (pictured celebrating their £148m win on Euromillions last year) says they get at least 30 letters a week from people begging for money . Payout: The Bayfords won £148million in August, one of the biggest lottery jackpots in the UK . ‘We still read every one of them and work out yes or no on their own merits.’ When they won their massive EuroMillions jackpot, Mr Bayford, 41, ran a music shop in Haverhill, Suffolk. He closed it just before Christmas, charging £10 for 20 CDs or DVDs. The Bayfords went public with their win because they realised it would be hard to give money away and expect people to keep quiet about it. Bombarded: They were rumours that the couple were forced to close their music shop (above) because of nuisance and abuse from beggars, but Gillian has denied this was the case . In business: Mr Bayford with his best friend Richard Hudspith, left, inside the shop . They said they planned to share their good fortune with a small but close group of family and friends. Immediately after their win, the family were rumoured to have flown to a secret destination to ‘acclimatise’ after their life-changing jackpot. But rather than choosing somewhere exotic, they took an easyJet flight to Scotland and headed straight to the caravan park where Mrs Bayford’s parents, Ian and Brenda McCulloch, live. The couple were new entries in the Sunday Times rich list this week, but Mrs Bayford insists their life hasn’t changed hugely. Their children still go to the same school and play with the same friends, and the family’s priorities have not altered. ‘You can’t say it doesn’t change you but we’ve tried not to let it change us. It highlights who your friends are, the people who are behind you through thick and thin,’ said Mrs Bayford. There are no financial worries any more . and we’ve moved to a slightly larger house, but my main aims are still . there – my friends, my family, my children. It doesn’t matter how much . money you have in the bank, you wouldn’t be anybody without friends and . family behind you.’ Still on a budget: Adrian and Gillian Bayford board a helicopter after it was revealed that they had won £148million on the lottery . Jet-setters: The helicopter took the couple on a four-mile journey to Stansted Airport, where they boarded an easyJet flight with their two children . Trading up: The couple have bought a £6million Georgian mansion, with a stable in its grounds which is set to be turned into a musical instrument workshop . When Mrs Bayford, who now lives in a £6million Georgian mansion set in 100 acres, won the lottery last August, she said she wanted to do things locally and she is now helping to re-open a children’s soft play centre. A year ago, the former health care assistant at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge struggled to pay for her two young children, Aimee and Cameron, to have a joint birthday party at the play barn in Haverhill. So when the Cheeky Chimps Funhouse went out of business in February she stepped in to buy it.‘The kids both wanted their party there last year – times were tight but we made a point of trying to budget for it,’ she said. ‘Both of them had half of their class there, they had a great time. ‘At the moment there’s nothing for children from Haverhill and the surrounding villages, so we wanted to give them somewhere to go.’ The Bayfords’ new house has seven bedrooms and four marble bathrooms as well as a three-bedroom annexe, a lodge, a three-bedroom farmhouse and four cottages. Their jackpot was the second-biggest to be won by Britons. The record is held by Colin and Christine Weir, from Ayrshire, who scooped £161million, also on EuroMillions. VIDEO Down-to-earth Adrian did not like the taste of champagne when the couple first won .
Gillian and Adrian Bayford inundated with requests nine months after win .
Mrs Bayford said: 'It takes a lot of guts just to ask .
somebody for money'
Couple deny rumours they were forced to close music shop due to beggars .
By . John Stevens . PUBLISHED: . 08:13 EST, 25 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:27 EST, 26 April 2013 . They may regret saying it, but the winners of a £148million lottery jackpot insist they read every single begging letter they receive. Gillian and Adrian Bayford get between 30 and 40 requests for money a week – and they consider them all. Speaking for the first time since their win last summer, Mrs Bayford, 40, said: ‘We do get a lot of letters, but in this world if you don’t ask, you don’t know. ‘You can’t condemn anybody for asking. It takes a lot of guts just to ask somebody for money, to just to come out and say it. Scroll down for video . Bulging postbag: Gillian and Adrian Bayford (pictured celebrating their £148m win on Euromillions last year) says they get at least 30 letters a week from people begging for money . Payout: The Bayfords won £148million in August, one of the biggest lottery jackpots in the UK . ‘We still read every one of them and work out yes or no on their own merits.’ When they won their massive EuroMillions jackpot, Mr Bayford, 41, ran a music shop in Haverhill, Suffolk. He closed it just before Christmas, charging £10 for 20 CDs or DVDs. The Bayfords went public with their win because they realised it would be hard to give money away and expect people to keep quiet about it. Bombarded: They were rumours that the couple were forced to close their music shop (above) because of nuisance and abuse from beggars, but Gillian has denied this was the case . In business: Mr Bayford with his best friend Richard Hudspith, left, inside the shop . They said they planned to share their good fortune with a small but close group of family and friends. Immediately after their win, the family were rumoured to have flown to a secret destination to ‘acclimatise’ after their life-changing jackpot. But rather than choosing somewhere exotic, they took an easyJet flight to Scotland and headed straight to the caravan park where Mrs Bayford’s parents, Ian and Brenda McCulloch, live. The couple were new entries in the Sunday Times rich list this week, but Mrs Bayford insists their life hasn’t changed hugely. Their children still go to the same school and play with the same friends, and the family’s priorities have not altered. ‘You can’t say it doesn’t change you but we’ve tried not to let it change us. It highlights who your friends are, the people who are behind you through thick and thin,’ said Mrs Bayford. There are no financial worries any more . and we’ve moved to a slightly larger house, but my main aims are still . there – my friends, my family, my children. It doesn’t matter how much . money you have in the bank, you wouldn’t be anybody without friends and . family behind you.’ Still on a budget: Adrian and Gillian Bayford board a helicopter after it was revealed that they had won £148million on the lottery . Jet-setters: The helicopter took the couple on a four-mile journey to Stansted Airport, where they boarded an easyJet flight with their two children . Trading up: The couple have bought a £6million Georgian mansion, with a stable in its grounds which is set to be turned into a musical instrument workshop . When Mrs Bayford, who now lives in a £6million Georgian mansion set in 100 acres, won the lottery last August, she said she wanted to do things locally and she is now helping to re-open a children’s soft play centre. A year ago, the former health care assistant at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge struggled to pay for her two young children, Aimee and Cameron, to have a joint birthday party at the play barn in Haverhill. So when the Cheeky Chimps Funhouse went out of business in February she stepped in to buy it.‘The kids both wanted their party there last year – times were tight but we made a point of trying to budget for it,’ she said. ‘Both of them had half of their class there, they had a great time. ‘At the moment there’s nothing for children from Haverhill and the surrounding villages, so we wanted to give them somewhere to go.’ The Bayfords’ new house has seven bedrooms and four marble bathrooms as well as a three-bedroom annexe, a lodge, a three-bedroom farmhouse and four cottages. Their jackpot was the second-biggest to be won by Britons. The record is held by Colin and Christine Weir, from Ayrshire, who scooped £161million, also on EuroMillions. VIDEO Down-to-earth Adrian did not like the taste of champagne when the couple first won .
asking. It takes a lot of guts just to ask somebody for money, to just to come out and say Gillian and Adrian Bayford (pictured celebrating were rumours that the couple were forced to close