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Daily Read: UK

Connelly Couple Splits Lottery Prize, Donates Half to Charity

Frances Connolly and her husband Paddy won £115 million (about $155 million) in the 2019 UK National Lottery and initially used the money to secure her family’s future. They then set up the PFC Trust, which has distributed roughly half of the winnings to charities across the United Kingdom. The trust’s grants support scholarship funds, emergency food deliveries, loneliness‑reduction projects, and the installation of defibrillators in local sports clubs, among other initiatives. Frances says her philanthropic drive is as natural as her love of country music and credits her father’s admiration for Dolly Parton as a key inspiration. She has spoken to the BBC about the importance of sharing wealth once one has enough, noting that she would have kept more money if she were younger. The couple lives in Hartlepool, enjoys holidays, owns a large house, and still purchases second‑hand luxury items. The PFC Trust also funds community grocery projects and hosts fundraising events, such as a 60‑mile run, swim, or cycle by seven athletes for Frances’s 60th birthday. Their story highlights how personal fortune can be redirected to benefit the wider community.

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The essential points

  1. 01Frances and Paddy Connolly won £115m (≈$155m) in the 2019 UK National Lottery.
  2. 02They established the PFC Trust to donate roughly half of the winnings to UK charities.
  3. 03Grants fund scholarships, emergency food, loneliness projects, and more, including adding defibrillators to local sports clubs.
  4. 04The couple cites Dolly Parton as a philanthropic inspiration and says sharing money is a human instinct.
The full brief

Frances Connolly and her husband Paddy won £115 million (about $155 million) in the 2019 UK National Lottery and initially used the money to secure her family’s future. They then set up the PFC Trust, which has distributed roughly half of the winnings to charities across the United Kingdom. The trust’s grants support scholarship funds, emergency food deliveries, loneliness‑reduction projects, and the installation of defibrillators in local sports clubs, among other initiatives.

Frances says her philanthropic drive is as natural as her love of country music and credits her father’s admiration for Dolly Parton as a key inspiration. She has spoken to the BBC about the importance of sharing wealth once one has enough, noting that she would have kept more money if she were younger. The couple lives in Hartlepool, enjoys holidays, owns a large house, and still purchases second‑hand luxury items.

The PFC Trust also funds community grocery projects and hosts fundraising events, such as a 60‑mile run, swim, or cycle by seven athletes for Frances’s 60th birthday. Their story highlights how personal fortune can be redirected to benefit the wider community.