'There's more mail than we normally get with the morning coffee': EuroMillions lottery winner bombarded with requests for cash at his tiny music shop
Dozens of letters have been pouring through the doors of the Suffolk Music Centre since Adrian and Gillian Bayford went public with their £148m win
Couple and their children Aimee and Cameron have flown for break with budget airline
Best friend says the couple are 'fine' and letting their enormous win 'sink-in' and want to 'carry on as normal'
By ROB PREECE and ANTHONY BOND
PUBLISHED: 16:22 GMT, 15 August 2012 | UPDATED: 00:06 GMT, 17 August 2012
Lottery winner Adrian Bayford has already been bombarded with requests for cash following his huge £148million win - despite being away on holiday with his family.
The tiny shop which he jointly runs with his best friend in the Suffolk town of Haverhill has seen dozens of letters pour through its doors since he went public with his huge win on Tuesday.
His best friend and business partner Richard Hudspith - who is keeping the Suffolk Music Centre running - said the requests for money had been piling up.
Bombarded: The tiny shop which Adrian Bayford jointly runs with his best friend in the Suffolk town of Haverhill has seen dozens of requests for cash pour through its doors since he went public with the huge win on Tuesday
'Put it this way, there has been more mail than you normally get with your morning coffee,' he said.
And rather than make for the sun and five-star luxury, they appear to have headed north to spend time at the windswept Scottish caravan park where Mrs Bayford’s parents live.
The manager of the Barry Downs site in Carnoustie, Angus, said yesterday: 'Yes, they are here but they don’t want to be disturbed. They are not giving interviews but they are here on the park.'
The couple went on the modest break with their children, Aimee, six, and Cameron, four, after the press conference on Tuesday where their identities were revealed.
Mr Hudspith, 39, said he had since spoken to Mr Bayford while he is on his break and said they are trying to let everything sink in.
'They are fine. They just want to have some time with each other and the children and various other members of family.
'They are just trying to let this all sink in and carry on as normal, the children come first for them.'
Already the couple have showed signs that there new found vast wealth won't go to their head.
The Bayfords flew with easyJet to an undisclosed location in Europe for their first holiday abroad as a family
They queued with other passengers at Stansted Airport before flying off to their hideaway where they will 'acclimatise' to their newfound wealth.
The only nod to luxury was the Air Harrods helicopter that whisked them from the hotel near Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, to the airport four miles away – and that was paid for by lottery organiser Camelot.
Mr Hudspith thinks the couple will continue to keep their feet on the ground.
'I know Camelot do lots to help people who come into large sums of money and I think they are listening to the right sort of advice.
'Obviously it is going to be life-changing for them but as people they will still have the same values and that is that their children will come first.
'They will probably move but I believe they will stay in the area.'
The gated caravan park where the Bayfords are staying has a bar, cafe and newsagents, as well as a gym and hairdresser. An adjoining field has pitches for tents.
Entertainment includes pub quizzes and bingo on Friday and Saturday nights.
Reviewers on one camping website gave Barry Downs six out of ten. Highlights are the reasonably-priced cafe, an entertainer whose ‘singing...was good’ and ‘immaculate’ beaches nearby.
But some complained about showers that were prone to flooding, toilets that were 'not as clean as they could’ve been' and a lack of activities for children.
Meanwhile back home in Haverhill, Suffolk, it was business as usual at Suffolk Music Centre, the secondhand records and musical instruments shop Mr Bayford runs and now hopes to expand.
A steady stream of customers arrived to offer their congratulations after co-owner Richard Hudspith opened up yesterday.
The determined show of normality was confirmed by Mr Bayford’s aunt, Linda Beesley, who said the couple wanted to shield their children from upheaval after scooping Britain’s second largest EuroMillions win.
Jackpot: The couple want to use their money to help people and support good causes, Mr Bayford's business partner has said
'If they’re going to move house they will tell the children what’s happening but they won’t explain why. They will protect them from it,’ the 65-year-old told the Mail yesterday.
'They won’t contaminate them by taking them out shopping and all that rubbish.
'They won’t be spoilt children, I don’t think that for one minute. And if they are then auntie will knock them into shape.’
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