Frances Connolly, a 55-year-old woman from Hartlepool in Co Durham, and her husband, Patrick, hit the jackpot and won a whopping £115 million ($145 million) in 2019.
However, Frances went against her and her husband’s budget and donated up to £11 million ($14 million) to charities. Initially, she and Patrick had agreed that she would donate the money over a span of 10 years.
However, the former teacher and social worker had given over half of the EuroMillions jackpot to charities or complete strangers.
The overspending got the 55-year-old in trouble with her husband, but she reasoned that she could not hold herself from helping people. “I get to change people’s lives. I am addicted to it,” she said.
Receiving life-changing money only made Frances want to share it with others more. She gave more insight into how she handled this considerable cheque.
How Did Frances and Patrick Spend Their Money?
When she first got money, people kept asking Frances, “How did you cope with that amount of money?” and she admitted, “I never did. It wasn’t in the bank for two days.”
However, a charity budget meant to last till 2032 was spent in six months. But for Frances, the joy of having this kind of money was to be able to help people when she wanted to.
In fact, the former teacher said helping people lifted her and gave her a “buzz,” but giving her time was just as satisfying for the 55-year-old.
She also admitted that spending money and time on other people was more thrilling to her than the $2.5 million home and an Aston Martin she bought.
Frances believed she had spent between $12 and $14 million, but she was not keeping count because she did not want her husband to find out. But Patrick had only given out $6,300 to Ukrainian refugees compared to her.
The 55-year-old also agreed to pay school transport fees for a young asylum seeker forcefully removed from their home…CONTINUE READING