Peter Lavery, who won £10.2 million on the National Lottery in 1996, spent £3 million in just four weeks, giving money to family and charities. But when he returned from a celebratory holiday in St Lucia, he was confronted with 15,000 letters from people asking for money, sent to the post office and addressed simply to 'Peter Lavery lottery winner'.
Immediate Spending Spree
Lavery, then 34, was a bus driver earning £200 a week when he won the jackpot. After verifying his numbers the morning after a night out, he completed a five-hour shift before resigning three days later. He took 12 friends and family to St Lucia, spending £66,000 on the trip, including club-class flights and the best resort.
He told the In Good Company podcast: 'Put it this way, in the first four weeks, I spent £3million giving it away to my family and charities.'
The Dark Side of Wealth
Upon returning to Belfast, Lavery became the focus of intense media attention. The head of the post office informed him of 15,000 letters, most lacking a proper address. Lavery requested they be returned. He acknowledged that some letters reached his home, but said: 'People who come, they're in desperate situations to do so... they must be so desperate to think you are the answer.'
He added: 'You can only do what you can do, and sometimes you give an organisation £1,000 and they turn and say 'you may as well give us two'.'
From Riches to Health Struggles
Lavery indulged in excessive food, alcohol, and partying. He bought a family home for his siblings and spent £300,000 on a house in Belfast's 'Golden Triangle'. Within two years, he squandered £500,000 on luxury cars including Jaguars and Bentleys, later selling them but keeping his Mercedes.
Approaching 40, he reached a breaking point. He was diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes and told by his doctor to change his lifestyle or face lifelong insulin injections. He said in a 2023 BBC documentary: 'I didn't drink every day but once I got a drink in me I just didn't want to go home... It's nothing to be proud of.'
Philanthropy and New Beginnings
Despite the challenges, Lavery has donated nearly £2 million to good causes. He famously treated 20 children affected by the Troubles and their parents to a trip to Disney World in Florida. He is now a successful entrepreneur and founder of Titanic Distillers. Reflecting on his win, he described it as the 'biggest upheaval' of his life, but he no longer drinks and has built a new career.
