A mom who has won a home worth 3 million pounds ($3.8 million) in a prize draw thought it was a practical joke by her friends.
The Charlbury home, in West Oxfordshire, England, has five bedrooms, gardens sprawling over nearly 15,000 square feet, and an outdoor entertaining area complete with a dining table and speaker system.
Ms. Stocks and her two children live with her partner, Brett, and his two children.
The couple have been renting for years but had hoped to buy a bungalow one day—a four-bedroom home for their children seemed out of reach.
When she found out about her epic prize, she thought it was friends playing a joke on her.
She said: “It was just another Friday when I got a call saying I'd won an Omaze prize. My first reaction was that my friends were playing an elaborate practical joke on me.
“I didn’t think for one second I’d actually won anything, but the next thing I knew, the Omaze team were on my front lawn telling me I’d won a 3-million-pound house in the Cotswolds—it was crazy. I still couldn’t believe it, even when I got to the house. I kept expecting one of my friends to jump out a wardrobe and shout ‘Gotcha!’
“We’re currently renting, and our plan was to save as much as possible to one day get a little bungalow when the kids have left home, as buying a four-bedroom house for us all now just isn’t possible. I can’t believe we now own a five-bedroom house that you could fit five bungalows in. I work from home, so it’s safe to say my office has just had a big upgrade!”
Ms. Stocks received the property with no mortgage and all legal fees covered—and can now decide to live in the house, sell it, or rent it out at an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 pounds ($6,300 to $8,900) per month.
The draw also raised 3 million pounds for London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH).
“As a mother, I’m obviously delighted that the draw raised so much money for GOSH Charity,” Ms. Stocks said.
“I entered Omaze draws as I fell in love with the dream of winning one of the stunning houses, but always thought if I didn’t win, I’m supporting a worthy cause, which is a nice feeling.
“Whatever we decide to do with the house long-term, this win is truly transformational for my family’s future—it’s changed our lives forever.”
Money raised for GOSH will be used to continue treating children and young people from across the UK and constructing a state-of-the-art children’s cancer center.
Liz Tait, GOSH Charity’s director of fundraising, said: “We are completely blown away that the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in the Cotswolds has raised an incredible 3 million pounds for GOSH Charity in just six weeks.
“This donation will be invaluable in helping us to build a world-leading new Children’s Cancer Center at Great Ormond Street Hospital, helping to save more children’s lives and beat childhood cancer once and for all. ... We’d also like to wish Sarah a huge congratulations on being the winner of this stunning house in the Cotswolds and thank everyone who entered the prize draw—their support for seriously ill children is amazing, and we couldn’t be more grateful.”
This is the second time the charity has teamed up with Omaze.
James Oakes, the chief international officer at Omaze, said: “Everyone at Omaze is delighted that Sarah and her family have won this beautiful house in the Cotswolds, whilst also contributing to the incredible first instalment of 3 million pounds towards our 10 million pounds [$12.7 million] pledge to help build the new Children’s Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
“Omaze gives people the chance to win amazing houses, like this lovely house in the Cotswolds, whilst also introducing charities to vast new audiences that would otherwise be out of reach—it’s a real win-win for both charities and entrants. We’re incredibly proud that the Omaze community has raised over 34 million pounds [$43.3 million] for good causes in the UK.”
Draw entries for the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Cornwall are available now at omaze.co.uk. The draw closes on March 31, 2024, for online entries and April 2, 2024, for postal entries.
