www.bbc.com Open in urlscan Pro
151.101.192.81  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

LET US KNOW YOU AGREE TO COOKIES

We use cookies to give you the best online experience. Please let us know if you
agree to all of these cookies.

Yes, I agree

No, take me to settings

BBC Homepage
 * Skip to content
 * Accessibility Help

 * Sign in


 * Home
 * News
 * Sport
 * Earth
 * Reel
 * Worklife
 * Travel
 * More menu

More menu
Search BBC
 * Home
 * News
 * Sport
 * Earth
 * Reel
 * Worklife
 * Travel
 * Culture
 * Future
 * Music
 * TV
 * Weather
 * Sounds

Close menu
BBC News
Menu
 * Home
 * Israel-Gaza war
 * War in Ukraine
 * Climate
 * Video
 * World
 * UK
 * Business
 * Tech
 * Science

More
 * Entertainment & Arts
 * Health
 * World News TV
 * In Pictures
 * BBC Verify
 * Newsbeat

 * N. Ireland
 * N. Ireland Politics




EUROMILLIONS NI COUPLE HAVE GIVEN AWAY 'HALF' OF WINNINGS

Published
8 December 2020

Share
close panel
Share page
Copy link
About sharing
Image source, Pacemaker
Image caption,
Frances and Patrick Connolly wrote a list of 50 friends and family members who
they wanted to help

A Northern Ireland couple who won £115m in the EuroMillions lottery two years
ago have already given away more than half to loved ones, charity and those in
need during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Frances and Patrick Connolly have handed out £60m since their jackpot in the
2019 New Year's Day draw.

It was the biggest ever EuroMillions win in NI.

National Lottery operator Camelot said it was one of the biggest giveaways it
has seen.

The couple from Moira, County Down, wrote a list of 50 friends and family
members who they wanted to help.

Since then they have extended their generosity in various ways, including
setting up two charitable foundations - the Kathleen Graham Trust in Northern
Ireland, named after Frances' mother, and the PFC Trust in County Durham, where
they now live.


Image source, PA/Nigel Roddis
Image caption,
Frances Connolly said the last two years had been "a total joyride"

Other good deeds include buying gifts for 1,000 pensioners who will be in
hospital on Christmas Day and purchasing hundreds of electronic tablets so
elderly care home residents can video call their families.

They have also paid for a young refugee boy to continue to travel to his
secondary school for the rest of his education.

Mrs Connolly described the last two years as an "absolutely manic whirlwind and
a total, total joyride from start to finish".

She said they were speaking out now to draw attention to the charitable work
being done by so many at the end of a challenging year.

"People need to be celebrated," she said.

"Not me, not by any stretch of the imagination, but by me talking I could draw
attention to the fact that, actually, we're a nation of heroes here."




TEDDY BEAR'S PICNIC

Following their big win, their list of family and friends to help included their
daughters, Mrs Connolly's three sisters and two brothers and Mr Connolly's three
sisters.

They also gave all their nieces and nephews money to buy their own homes.

This year much of their focus has been on helping those on the Covid-19
frontline.

Mrs Connolly bought new sewing machines for a group in NI when she heard they
were making personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers.

Mr Connolly, who owns a number of plastics manufacturing factories, also
arranged for supplies for a charity that was using 3D printers to make visors.

Back in Northern Ireland, the couple funded hot meal deliveries, £50 thank you
vouchers for 150 front-line workers, provided laptops for vulnerable secondary
school pupils to distance learn, contributed to a befriending service for those
living alone and helped with a teddy bear's picnic for 400 families.




'NO NEED TO BE FLASH'

Meanwhile the couple, who famously celebrated their win with a cup of tea, have
resisted the jet-set lifestyle of new millionaires.

They now live in a five-bedroom bungalow in County Durham - albeit with a tennis
court and a swimming pool - but this was a more modest option compared to the
castle and 15-bed stately home, complete with its own village, that were offered
to them.

When visiting their daughter in New Zealand, they choose not to fly first class
- settling for business class instead - reasoning that the cost could help a
young couple to pay off a mortgage.

Mr Connolly has chosen to continue to work while Mrs Connolly, who formerly
worked in education and now runs their charities, recently treated herself to a
brand new car, an E-Pace Jaguar, but said she only bought it new because she
could not find a second-hand electric vehicle.

"We've no need for supercars and I'm so proud that our daughters also drive
second-hand cars," she said.

"It's something that does the job and there's no need to be flash."


RELATED TOPICS

 * National Lottery
 * Moira
 * Durham


MORE ON THIS STORY

 * Lotto jackpot couple to give millions away
   
   Published
   4 January 2019
   
   

 * Moira couple win 'massive' lottery prize
   
   Published
   4 January 2019
   
   





TOP STORIES

 * Live. 
   
   Israel receives third list of hostages to be released as fragile truce holds

 * Crowds cheer Palestinians released from Israeli jail. VideoCrowds cheer
   Palestinians released from Israeli jail
   
   Published
   10 hours ago

 * Watch: Nine-year-old hostage reunited with father. VideoWatch: Nine-year-old
   hostage reunited with father
   
   Published
   8 hours ago





FEATURES

 * Who are the released hostages?
   
   

 * Zelensky is up for re-election. But can Ukraine vote?
   
   

 * The shepherdesses whose unique way of life is dying out
   
   
 * 

 * Your pictures on the theme of 'tiny creatures'
   
   

 * The homeless handyman and wealthy widow: Love or something darker?
   
   

 * Milei's radical proposals face test of reality in Argentina
   
   

 * Meet this year's 100 Women
   
   

 * Indo-Chinese cuisine makes a splash in US dining
   
   

 * Palestinian prisoner release a ‘window of hope’ for West Bank families
   
   




ELSEWHERE ON THE BBC

 * Why US travellers are snubbing budget airlines
   
   

 * Berlin's stunning indoor public pools
   
   

 * The scandalous queens of 1910s New York
   
   




MOST READ

 1.  1
     The homeless handyman and wealthy widow: Love or something darker?
 2.  2
     Police probe Hamilton theatregoers' fight
 3.  3
     Sierra Leone under curfew as prisoners on the loose
 4.  4
     Zelensky is up for re-election. But can Ukraine vote?
 5.  5
     Milei's radical proposals face test of reality in Argentina
 6.  6
     Derek Chauvin stabbed in prison
 7.  7
     Russia labels ex-PM Kasyanov 'foreign agent'
 8.  8
     Huge rallies condemn violence against women in Italy
 9.  9
     More hostages released despite agonising delay
 10. 10
     Who are the released hostages?





BBC NEWS SERVICES

 * On your mobile
 * On smart speakers
 * Get news alerts
 * Contact BBC News

 * Home
 * News
 * Sport
 * Earth
 * Reel
 * Worklife
 * Travel
 * Culture
 * Future
 * Music
 * TV
 * Weather
 * Sounds

 * Terms of Use
 * About the BBC
 * Privacy Policy
 * Cookies
 * Accessibility Help
 * Parental Guidance
 * Contact the BBC
 * Get Personalised Newsletters
 * Why you can trust the BBC
 * Advertise with us
 * Do not share or sell my info

© 2023 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read
about our approach to external linking.