This Couple Donated Half Of Their Rs 1140 Crore Lottery Winnings To Help Out Friends And Family
It has been a couple of years since Conolly won the lottery, but the former teacher told the news publication that along with her husband Patrick, she has given away ?60 million of her winnings.
Money can buy you the finest of things and change lives but when you spend it on something you really really believe in, it serves a different purpose.
Frances Conolly won ?115 million (approximately Rs 1140 crore) on the Lottery and instead of splurging it all, she decided to help out friends and relatives, reported The Sun.
It has been a couple of years since Conolly won the lottery, but the former teacher told the news publication that along with her husband Patrick, she has given away ?60 million of her winnings.
The Sun
Initially, Conolly had listed out 50 close friends and family she wanted to help out, but she ended up supporting a total of 175 families.
Many of those families have been able to buy homes or pay off their mortgages.
Conolly's win was the fourth biggest jackpot in 25 years of the Lottery, at the time in January. It has been superseded by the ?175 million Euro-Millions jackpot.
Frances said, ¡°We won ?114,969,775.70 and we have given away more than half. That¡¯s ?60million-worth of love. And the thing that makes me even happier is that every single person we gave money to has passed some of it on to other people. I can¡¯t think of a day since winning the Lottery that I haven¡¯t smiled.¡±
The couple has also taken out insurance in case of their death in the next six years so that none of the people they donated the money to will have to pay tax that would be then due on the money.
Frances added, ¡°I¡¯ve had more joy from changing lives than buying jewellery. I knew from the start that I¡¯d never become part of the jet set. Patrick joked for years that if we ever won the Lottery, he¡¯d take away my mobile phone and never let me use the computer again because I¡¯d give away the lot.¡±
Also read: 70-YO Man Wakes From Life-Saving Heart Surgery, Finds Out His Wife Won Lottery Worth Rs 24 Lakh
PA
This weekend, Frances also helped wrap 1,000 presents of toiletries she had bought for people who will be stuck in hospitals during Christmas time.
Aside from that, she has also paid for 30 computers, 20 laptops and dozens of wifi dongles for young people who are caring for their invalid parents, so that they can stay in touch with friends and family over the holidays.
Frances and businessman Patrick, who have three daughters and three grandchildren, played the Lottery for years using a mixture of family birthdays to pick their numbers.
Also read: Man Gets 25 Identical Lottery Tickets For The Same Draw, Wins 25 Times!
PA
While talking about when they had won the lottery, Frances said, ¡°I was doing my knitting on the sofa when Patrick went on his laptop to check the results.
She added, "He checked and double-checked, then said, ¡®I think I¡¯ve got some good news for you ¡ª we¡¯ve won¡¯. I asked him how much we¡¯d won, and he said, ¡®No, you don¡¯t understand ¡ª we¡¯ve WON!¡¯ He turned his laptop around and I could see ?114million. I thought, ¡®With our luck there will be 114 million winners today and we¡¯ll have all won a quid each!¡¯ We sat staring at the laptop, then when the news sank in, we had a hug and celebrated with a cup of tea."
PA
What a noble thing to do!
