A lottery winner who amassed a £115 million fortune and donated more than
half of it said she was "addicted" to giving aid to others.
Frances Connolly, 55, and her husband Patrick set aside money for charity
each year, but she claimed that they had already used all of their allotment
for 2032.
After winning the EuroMillions in 2019, the Hartlepool couple quickly
distributed their winnings to friends and relatives.
Helping others "gives you a thrill and it's addicting," according to Mrs.
Connolly.
I'm now addicted to it, she said.
In honor of her late mother Kathleen Graham in her native Northern Ireland,
the former social worker and teacher established two charity organizations.
The other is the PFC Trust, which helps local young carers, the elderly, and
refugees in her hometown.
She makes the joke that she doesn't keep a count since her 57-year-old
husband would be alarmed if he saw it, but she guesses that she has donated
£60 million.
Mrs. Connolly has a history of doing good deeds. As a young girl, she
helped with St. John Ambulance, and when a student in Belfast, she
established an Aids helpline.
She now supports neighborhood community organizations that support refugees
and young carers, assist individuals in finding employment, and provide
elderly folks computer tablets so they may stay in touch with their
relatives.
Mr. Connolly is still in charge of his plastic companies.
Their largest personal purchase was a six-bedroom home with seven acres of
land in County Durham, and Mr. Connolly drives a pre-owned Aston
Martin.
However, Mrs. Connolly objects to the concept of spending money on luxuries
like boats because she believes that the $25,000 spent on a bottle of
champagne might have gone toward helping a young person purchase a home,
according to reports.
When questioned by PA News about her willingness to give away so much, she
responded, "Why wouldn't you? That's what I've always done.
"If I took back all the money I've given away throughout the years, I'd
have been a billionaire anyhow."
According to Mrs. Connolly, winning a large sum of money can transform a
person's life but not their personality.
She said, "If you're foolish before you receive it, you'll be stupid after
you have it."
"Money liberates you to be the person that you want to be," I would advise
a winner.
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