'I won over €16 million on the lottery - but I'm not using the money how you might think'

Peter Congdon, a former bus driver and retired funeral director, has found an incredibly generous way to spend the massive fortune he won in the National Lottery

A Lotto winner who scooped a £13.5 million jackpot (approximately €16.2 million) has revealed how he is using his fortune to help change people's lives.

Kind Peter Congdon, 76, found his calling after coming to the rescue of a stranded bride during the pandemic. He stepped in to help the damsel in distress when her nuptials were cancelled four times and she could not get a wedding car in time, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Now the big-hearted grandad-of-ten, from Truro in Cornwall, has his own fleet of cars for the needy, including anyone from teens going to prom or people facing the end of their lives in a hospice. He has even bought a clutch of homes that he rents out at low prices to young people to help them get onto the property ladder.

READ MORE: Tesco worker shares 11 things staff wish they could tell customers - but can't

READ MORE: River Island coat loved by celebrities hailed as 'ultimate autumnal piece'

Speaking about the brush with fate with the bride which led him to his new life, Peter said: "It was such a memorable moment, when the bride walked out, she was expecting to climb into her dad's car and instead, she looked up and saw my Bentley parked across the street, and realised she did have a beautiful wedding car. She wept so much that she had to go back in to get her make up fixed."

Waiving what would be a £500 luxury wedding car fee for all of his 'customers', Peter said: "Since then, when I hear of a bride who can't afford a car, I'll step in to volunteer. I think I've taken more than 25 Cornish brides to say 'I do'. I always turn up in my best suit to help make it the happiest day of her life, and the only payment I need is to see the joy on their faces."

Like a lot of big winners, the former bus driver and retired funeral director did what many others have done since the first Lotto draw 30 years ago, and he treated himself to a selection of luxury cars, including a BMW i8 and a Bentley Continental. But when news of Peter's big-hearted gesture to the stranded bride spread, he soon had a fleet of cars ready for the use of those in need.

Laughing, he said: "I was driving a Ford Kuga at the time of my win; funnily enough nobody asked me to chauffeur them anywhere, but soon after I bought the BMW, a local lad came up to me and asked if I'd take him to his school prom. I agreed and from then on, it snowballed with other pupils asking me to take them so they could arrive in style. One teenage girl sat in the car and actually cried, because it was her dream car."

But Peter hasn't stopped at weddings and proms. He has also taken grieving relatives to funerals and takes patients from a local hospice on days out. One memorable moment was granting a wish to a terminally ill girl who wanted to be 'a princess for a day'. He said: "The local hospice rang me, and explained a young lady was terminally ill with cancer, could I help make her princess dream come true?

"I immediately said I would drive her, and when I turned up she was in a stunning white princess dress, with her hair and make-up done. The sight of her dressed up as a beautiful princess brought tears to my own eyes."

Peter added: "A few months ago, I heard of a woman who couldn't afford to get to her brother's funeral in Redruth. I picked her up in my Bentley and drove her there for free. I couldn't ease her grief but I could at least make sure she didn't have to catch a bus."

While his chauffeuring has brought so much joy to so many people, whether for pennies saved or a once-in-a-lifetime trip in a dream car, Peter's generosity is not limited to four wheels. The grandad-of-ten explained: "Since winning, I've bought a few homes which I rent out at a reduced rent to deserving local young people.

"Getting on the property ladder is so tough for young people in Cornwall, so I give those who help themselves, a little help too. The first couple I helped in this way were able to save for their own home and get married, they now have two children and are well set up. I like to think that they, like me, were a National Lottery winner too."

When Peter first won the Lotto jackpot, he immediately gave £1.2 million to fund an anti-gravity hydro pool at the nearby Merlin Centre, in memory of his late wife Rosemary, who battled Multiple Sclerosis for more than 30 years. He also bought a new Range Rover and handed it straight over to the centre to auction in a raffle. In total, his contributions topped £1.4 million.

This November will mark 30 years of The UK National Lottery since its launch in 1994. Since then, it has created more than 7,200 millionaires or multi-millionaires across its games and, on average, seven millionaires are made every week - that's a new millionaire for every day of the year.

Players generate a whopping £30 million each week for National Lottery-funded projects, with over 690,000 grants having been made across the UK, supporting everything from arts to sport sectors to local charities.

Sign up to the Irish Mirror'sdaily newsletter hereand get breaking news and top stories direct to your inbox.