Bentley does it: Peter’s kind limo rides for brides

But three years down the road, the sight of Peter getting brides to (and from) the church on time in his £250,000 car, has become familiar to locals in the Cornish city of Truro.

It all began in 2015 when Peter, a former bus driver and retired funeral director, won £13.5MMillion on Lotto. He did what many lucky winners have done since the first National Lottery draw was held 30 years ago: he treated himself to a selection of luxury cars, including a BMW i8 and a Bentley Continental.

Peter said, “I was driving a Ford Kuga at the time of my win and 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.”

Peter began helping brides during the pandemic. When a woman whose wedding had been cancelled four times finally got the go-ahead to tie the knot, she found it impossible to get a wedding car in time. That’s when Peter stepped in to help.

He said, “It was such a memorable moment. When the bride walked out she was expecting to climb into her dad’s Peugeot. Instead, she looked up and saw my Bentley parked across the street and realised she had a beautiful wedding car. She wept so much she had to go back in to get her make up fixed.

“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 their lives and the only payment I need is to see the joy on their faces.”

Peter, who has five luxury cars for his ‘customers’ to choose from, hasn’t stopped at weddings and proms. He has taken grieving relatives to funerals and patients from a local hospice on days out.

When Peter heard about a terminally ill girl’s wish to be a princess for a day, he didn’t hesitate to help out. “I immediately said I would drive her and when I turned up she was in a stunning white princess dress with her hair and makeup done. The sight of her dressed up as a beautiful princess brought tears to my own eyes.”

A few months ago, Peter heard about a woman who couldn’t afford to get to her brother’s funeral in Redruth. He picked her up in his Bentley and drove her there for free. He said, “I couldn’t ease her grief, but I could at least make sure she didn’t have to catch a bus.”

His chauffeuring has brought joy to many people, but his generosity isn’t limited to four wheels. Since winning The National Lottery he has bought a few houses which he rents to deserving young people at a reduced rate. 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, are National Lottery winners!”

When Peter won the Lotto jackpot he immediately gave £1.2MMillion to Cornwall’s Merlin Neuro Therapy Centre to fund an anti-gravity hydro pool. He made the donation in memory of his late wife Rosemary, who battled Multiple Sclerosis for more than 30 years.

Peter also bought a new Range Rover and allowed the Merlin Centre to auction it in a raffle. In total, his contributions topped £1.4MMillion.

This November marks The National Lottery’s 30th anniversary. Since its launch in 1994, it has made more than 7,200 millionaires or multi-millionaires. On average, seven millionaires are made every week.

By playing any National Lottery game, you help generate £30MMillion each week for National Lottery-funded projects. More than 690,000 grants have been made across the UK to projects ranging from local charities to the facilities supporting our Olympic and Paralympic heroes.

1st October 2024