By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-10-05 11:31:07 | Updated at 2026-10-05 12:07:16
1 hour ago
A National Lottery winner who scooped up a mega £10.2million jackpot has insisted he has no intention of retiring.
Peter Lavery, 64, was earning £200 a week as a bus driver when he became one of Northern Ireland's wealthiest individuals overnight on May 18 1996, banking £10,248,233.
Today, he is the founder of Titanic Distillers and one of the region's most recognisable lottery winners.
Despite the life-altering windfall arriving when he was just 34, Lavery remains as driven as ever.
“I don't think I'll ever retire. I enjoy what I do," Mr Lavery declared.
The lucky winner learned he had scooped a major prize when out with friends on Saturday evening.
However, the magnitude of his new fortune didn't sink in until the next morning, when he verified his numbers.
Even then, he reported for duty and completed a five-hour bus driving shift that Sunday.
He requested Monday off to collect his prize money, and by Wednesday he had handed in his notice and was jetting off to a five-star resort in the Caribbean.
“Twelve family and friends came with me to St Lucia. It cost £66,000 - flying out club class, you name it, it was the best resort in the centre of St Lucia,” he told Belfast Live.
Each morning on that holiday, he woke unable to believe what had happened.
“It felt unreal. It's an amazing thing to happen - everybody dreams of trying to win the lottery, don't they?”
'I don't think I'll ever retire. I enjoy what I do,' the East Belfast man declared
Growing up in the working-class Short Strand neighbourhood, Lavery found that becoming one of Northern Ireland's richest men virtually overnight was the “biggest upheaval” of his life.
Within the first four weeks, he had given away £3million to relatives and charitable causes.
He purchased a family home for his siblings and spent £300,000 on a property in Belfast's prestigious “Golden Triangle” area.
Over the first two years, he also spent half a million pounds on luxury vehicles, including Jaguars and Bentleys, though he eventually sold them all except a Mercedes.
However, Mr Lavery’s lavish new lifestyle soon caught up to him.
Before reaching his 40th birthday, he hit a crisis point after he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and realised the damage excessive drinking was causing.
That turbulent period ultimately gave way to a remarkable reinvention.
Mr Lavery stopped drinking entirely and channelled his energy into business, establishing Titanic Distillers and earning a reputation as a shrewd entrepreneur.
His generosity has been a constant thread throughout the past three decades, with close to £2million donated to various charitable organisations.
One particularly memorable gesture saw him take 20 children affected by the Troubles, along with their parents, on a trip to Disney World in Florida.
Mr Lavery turns 65 later this year but has no desire to put his feet up, relishing the flexibility his position affords him.
“It's not like I'm forced to go to work every morning at 8 o'clock. If I want to go to work tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock and want to go home at 2 o'clock, I've got the freedom to do so; that's what I enjoy most.”
For anyone in a similar position, his counsel is straightforward.
“Don't be in a rush to do anything; take your time and think before you say what you want to do,” he advised.
“Everybody has their own wee thoughts on what they want to do. Take time to digest it, then move on. You still have to make the final call on what you do yourself.”
