A multi-millionaire who won £13.5million in the lottery has opened up about how he lifts people’s moods for free as a chauffeur.
Grandfather Peter Congdon, 76, says he found this calling after coming to the rescue of a bride during the pandemic.
The former bus driver and funeral director used one of his luxury motors to help the woman after her wedding had been cancelled four times and she could not get a car in time.
Speaking to The Mirror, Mr Congdon said it was such a ‘memorable moment’ when the bride saw his parked car across the street, leaving her having to fix her make-up because she ‘wept so much’.
Ever since this day, the Cornish man uses his own fleet of cars to help those who need them – such as taking grieving relatives to funerals and patients from a local hospice on days out.
Grandfather Peter Congdon, 76, says he found this calling after coming to the rescue of a bride during the pandemic
The former bus driver and funeral director used one of his luxury motors to help the woman after her wedding had been cancelled four times and she could not get a car in time
He said: ‘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.
‘The local hospice rang me, and explained a young lady was terminally ill with cancer and asked if I could help make her princess dream come true? When I turned up she was in a stunning white princess dress, with her hair and make-up done. The sight of her brought tears to my eyes.’
Mr Congdon has used his Lotto winnings to buy a selection of luxury cars – including a BMW i8 and a Bentley Continental – when his numbers came up in May 2015.
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 lad came up to me and asked if I’d take him to his 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.’
A few months ago, Mr Congdon heard that a woman couldn’t afford to get to her brother’s funeral and picked her up in his Bentley and drove her there for free.
Speaking about this moment, he said: ‘I couldn’t ease her grief but I could at least make sure she didn’t have to catch a bus.’
Peter’s generosity with his winnings does not stop with his chauffeuring. He has also bought a number of homes and offered them to local young people at a reduced rent.
Mr Congdon uses his own fleet of cars to help those who need them – such as taking grieving relatives to funerals and patients from a local hospice on days out
Mr Congdon has used his Lotto winnings to buy a selection of luxury cars – including a BMW i8 and a Bentley Continental – when his numbers came up in May 2015
Mr Congdon says he has taken more than 25 Cornish brides to their wedding in his fleet of luxury cars
He said: ‘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.’
Mr Congdon’s late wife Rosemary battled multiple sclerosis for more than 30 years. Because of this, the generous grandfather-of-ten has also donated £1.2million to fund an anti-gravity hydro pool at the Merlin Centre in St Austell.
One of his cars, a new Range Rover, was also given straight over to the centre to auction in a raffle.
