A couple who scored a £115 million EuroMillions jackpot has given away more than half of their winnings to loved ones, charities and those in need during the coronavirus crisis.
Frances Connolly wrote a list of 50 close friends and family to help as she was too excited to sleep on the night she and husband Patrick, 56, secured their fortune on New Year’s Day 2019.
Almost two years on, the pair has given away £60 million – extending their generosity to health workers on the Covid-19 frontline, care home residents, hospital patients and hundreds of other people.
The husband and wife, from Moira, County Down, vowed to not become part of the ‘jet set’ when they celebrated their win with a hug and a cup of tea two years ago.
They have stayed true to their promise, laughing off the opportunity to live in a 15-bed stately home and deciding against flying first class to New Zealand to visit their daughter. They say they could have helped a young couple pay off a mortgage with the ticket price.
The pair live a comfortable life in a five-bedroom bungalow in County Durham which comes with five acres of land, a tennis court and swimming pool.
However, Frances says much of their ‘real joy’ has come from ‘helping other people out’. She and her husband have set up two charitable foundations – the Kathleen Graham Trust in Northern Ireland and the PFC Trust in County Durham – since their huge win.
They sprung into action when the pandemic hit, funding hot meal deliveries and £50 thank you vouchers for 150 frontline workers. They also provided laptops for vulnerable secondary school pupils to distance learn and contributed to a befriending service for those living alone.
Patrick and Frances have also helped with a teddy bear’s picnic for 400 families, purchased 1,000 presents for patients who will be in hospital on Christmas Day and handed out hundreds of tablets for people who found themselves isolated during lockdown.
Frances bought new machines for a sewing group in Northern Ireland when she heard they were making PPE for health workers on the Covid-19 frontline.
She also ordered hundreds of pairs of pyjamas and toiletries for care home residents who were discharged from hospitals without them after her gardener mentioned the desperate situation to her in passing.
Meanwhile, Patrick has been busy arranging for supplies for a charity using 3D printers to make visors during the pandemic.
The parents-of-three didn’t forget their initial list of 50 people, with their daughters, sisters and brothers all receiving some money. They also gave all of their nieces and nephews funds to buy their own homes.
Former teacher Frances says the past two years have been an ‘absolutely manic whirlwind, and a total, total joyride from start to finish’.
She has recently treated herself to a brand new car, an E-Pace Jaguar, after years of driving second-hand models – but says it was only because she could not find a second-hand electric vehicle.
She said: ‘We’ve no need for supercars, and I’m so proud that our daughters also drive second-hand cars. It’s something that does the job, and there’s no need to be flash.’
As well as running the couple’s two charities, Frances also spends her time helping her husband, who owns a number of plastics manufacturing factories.
When questioned on whether he was tempted to retire after the win, she said: ‘He wants to keep people working. We’re too young to jack it in yet.’
The low-key couple has decided to speak out about their charitable acts in order to draw attention to the hard work being done by so many other people during the pandemic.
Frances said: ‘People need to be celebrated. Not me, not by any stretch of the imagination me, but by me talking I could draw attention to the fact that, actually, we’re a nation of heroes, here.’
She added: ‘We have [thank you] cards from a 14-year-old and one from an 85-year-old who both received tablets to keep in touch during the lockdown.
‘The cards are each a reminder of the power of the lottery and how it has changed not only our lives – but other people’s too.’
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