Britain's biggest lottery winners fund girl's operation The 38-year-old was stunned to receive a phone call informing her that the couple would in fact stump up £28,000. Mrs Swinton, a former teacher and now Skye's full-time carer, said: "It is just unbelievable and we are so delighted. I sent the letter months ago and so I just thought it would have been politely binned. So to get the phone call with the news was just fantastic. Skye was born 13 weeks premature, weighing just 1lb 15oz. She is unsteady on her feet and unable to go any distance without tiring. Her family and friends raised £12,000 for the pioneering operation but were still a long way from the £40,000 total needed until the Weirs stepped in. Mrs Swinton now hopes Skye, from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, will undergo the surgery next summer after medical assessments. Without the operation, which involves partially cutting the nerve roots where they join the spinal cord, it was feared she would have needed major orthopaedic surgery by age 10 or 11. Her family believe it will cost around £800 for the initial assessment, £23,500 for the operation itself and around £15,000 for two years of physiotherapy afterwards. Skye's father John, 38, said: "There are still a number of medical hurdles to overcome, but now that we have raised the money we need, we can now concentrate on helping Skye reach her full potential. We were absolutely blown away with the support we've had, and the generosity we have been shown. The family will continue fundraising for Skye and will use the additional money to help her during her rehabilitation. In a statement, Mr and Mrs Weir said they hoped their donation would allow the Swinton family to concentrate on Skye's welfare. They said: "Skye faces many challenges in the next year and she needs her mum and dad to be focused on her. That's why we've given a donation. Without the additional worry and pressure of fundraising, their time can be spent on Skye. The couple won the jackpot in July last year and decided to publicly reveal their identity so they would not be forced to lie to friends and family. Their win put them just behind the Beckhams in the UK rich list and they were said to have travelled to Spain with their children after begging letters flooded in to their home. But last autumn they donated £1m to the Scottish National Party, the largest gift in the party's history. In August they gave a five-figure sum to buy a prosthetic limb for Kieran Maxwell, a 13-year-old cancer patient from Heighington near Darlington. Other good causes they have supported include the historic Waverley paddle steamer and a local elderly care home.