LOTTERY WINNER CONNOLLY GIVES AWAY HALF OF £115M JACKPOT

Frances Connolly, who won £115 million on the EuroMillions lottery with husband Paddy in 2019, has given away half her winnings to charitable causes. The couple established the PFC Trust to support good causes in North East England. To mark Connolly's 60th birthday, seven athletes supported by the trust will undertake a series of challenges to raise funds for the organisation. Connolly, a former social worker and teacher, said she was inspired by country music singer Dolly Parton, who died last month aged 80, and noted that Parton could have become a billionaire had she not donated substantial sums to causes including child literacy.

Connolly told the PA news agency that philanthropic giving reflects human nature. She stated: "It depends on what you want in life. If your ambition is to be the richest person in the world and be influencing presidents, then you need to keep all your money, or you need to keep a lot of your money." She added that she and Paddy remain conscious of value, purchasing second-hand items including a pre-owned Cartier watch and a used Aston Martin. Paddy continues to run plastics businesses, and the couple maintain a large house on Teesside and take regular holidays.

Connolly said her decision to donate was influenced by her age at the time of the win and her family circumstances. She noted: "Unless I intended to live forever – I was 50-whatever when I won it – so even being generous, I was well over half-way through. So as long as the kids are sorted and they had enough to live comfortable, nice lives, I didn't see the point." She described her life as unchanged in character but expanded in scale: "We have the same life, we just live it bigger."