Freddie Williams (businessman)

Freddie "Fearless" Sidney Williams (28 October 1942 – 21 June 2008) was a Scottish businessman,

It was at Currie's that he first took to gambling. For years he was a boomaker's-runner, before taking up his first bookmaking pitch at Auchinleck Greyhound Stadium.

In 1974 Williams bought his first horseracing bookmaking pitch at Ayr Racecourse. He subsequently went on to purchase pitches, including Irvine Racecourse, Hamilton Park Racecourse, Musselburgh Racecourse, Perth Racecourse and Cheltenham Racecourse. He also owned a pitch at Shawfield Stadium in Glasgow. At the time of his death, Williams owned a total of 11 pitches.

As business grew, Freddie Williams Bookmakers expanded to a chain of seven bookmaking shops.^[1] As of June 2008, this had been slimmed down to two, one in either of his hometowns, Cumnock and Auchinleck.

Business interests

Williams' interests in the soft drinks market continued following the termination of his interests in Currie's. In 1992 he set up Caledonian Bottlers in

He was the owner of 76 St Vincent Street, an Italian restaurant in Glasgow. He originally bought the restaurant in 2004 to deter his daughters from joining him in the betting industry.^[5] The business was not to be successful and was eventually liquidated.^{[citation needed]}

Ill health

In 1998 Williams suffered a massive heart attack and later underwent a triple-

Cheltenham

Williams first put his name down for a bookmaking pitch at Cheltenham Racecourse in 1976 but he was unable to purchase a pitch until a relaxation of regulations governing ownership of on-site bookmakers pitches in 1998.^[6] Williams paid £90,000 for pitch number 2 at auction, the first ever sale of a pitch at Cheltenham and only four weeks after his triple-heart-bypass.

Williams shot to fame in March 2000, taking mammoth bets from

In March 2008 he returned to the Festival accompanied by his own horse Donaldson. A rising public profile saw Williams undertake the writing of a Festival column for the Daily Record.

Family

In 1966 Williams married Sheila, but they separated around 1997–1998. Freddie and Sheila had two daughters, Elizabeth "Julie" and Shirley. In March 2006, Freddie and Sheila divorced for a reputed £1,000,000 settlement. Sheila also got to keep the modest family home in Holmhead, Cumnock.^[7]

Williams spent the later years of his life in a relationship with long-term partner Margaret Gribben, but the pair never married, and his £8 million estate passed on to his two daughters.^[8]

Since his death, Williams' daughter Julie has taken on the running of the bookmakers business.

Death

On 21 June 2008, Freddie Willams died having suffered a major heart attack at his home in Skares, near Cumnock. Typical of Williams' working attitude, his death followed a hectic start to the weekend which saw him take a helicopter from Musselburgh Racecourse to Ayr Racecourse the previous day (Friday) in order to attend both race meetings.

On the day of his death he had pitched up at Ayr Racecourse for what was to be the final time, before going on to Shawfield in the evening. Williams died shortly after his return home that night.^[9]

References

[[Category:Scottish businesspeople]