A ZOO bought by Britain’s youngest ever EuroMillions winner has been “shut down” amid apparent financial strain.
Multi-millionaire Matthew Topham splashed out £600,000 treating his mother-in-law Jane to Rushmoor Country Park in Louth, Lincs, as a Christmas gift in 2020.
4
4
He and wife Cassey – who were just 23 when they won £45m in 2012 – used the jackpot to fill the petting zoo with horses, pigs, pygmy goats, llamas and ducks.
The couple also bought a falconry centre to house falcons, owls, hawks and a sea eagle at the centre, which Jane had run for years.
But the zoo is now “permanently closed”, according to TripAdvisor and Google – with the attraction’s website taken down and no social media posts since last year.
Matthew became the youngest EuroMillions winner when he scooped an eye-watering sum in 2012 before Jane Park won her fortune a year later.
It comes two years after he was sentenced for causing a car crash that killed a pensioner.
Posts on the Rushmoor Farm Park and Falconry Centre’s Facebook page show how staff were asking for woodchip donations and flogging hens for £20 each back in 2021.
And its most recent post in March 2022 tells its 6.6k followers: “After a lot of thought, we have come to the decision not to open this year (2022).
“We will keep everyone updated on future plans, once they have been decided on.”
Most read in Money
According to latest accounts filed to Companies House two months ago, as of March 2022 Rushmoor Country Farm Park had net liabilities of £422,139.
The document also states that creditors include more than £1m owed to director Cassey, 34, though repayment will not be sought “until the company has sufficient funds to enable it to do so”.
Visitors have taken to social media to enquire when the park is due to reopen, but have not received a response.
The zoo’s closure is the latest blow for the couple after Matt, now 34, admitted careless driving after causing a fatal car crash on Christmas Day, 2019.
Passenger Mary Jane Regler, 75, died in the head-on collision with Matt’s vehicle after the lotto winner took his eyes off the road to find his young son’s teddy.
Her husband Rodney, 77, who was driving the other car, was seriously injured in the horror smash in North Cockerington, Lincs.
A jury at Lincoln Crown Court cleared Topham of causing death by dangerous driving in 2021.
He had admitted a lesser charge of careless driving before trial.
Sentencing him to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight told the EuroMillions winner he “now had the burden of taking a life.”
Matt, of Swinderby, Lincs., was removed as director of the zoo in September with wife Cassey taking over as the sole director, accounts show.
Locals are upset by the apparent closure of the park, with one writing online: “we’ve been coming here since I was a child such a shame” and others calling it “so sad”.
Some speculated that bird flu might be a reason for difficulties, while another penned: “Very strange situation this. You must have more savings than me”.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
4
4
