What a win (Picture: Errari)
A widowed grandmother of six has won a £4,500,000 home on the idyllic Cornish coast – after entering a prize draw, spending just £25.
The last time June Smith, 74, went on a holiday to Cornwall, she stayed with her family in a caravan – now she has won a luxury six-bedroom, three storey ‘mansion’ overlooking the picturesque Fowey Estuary.
June has also won £100,000 in cash, as part of the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw, to help her settle in.
This is the biggest house prize draw to be given away in the UK – and it even comes mortgage free, with stamp duty and legal fees covered.
June lost her husband of 43 years, Ron, last year when he suffered a heart attack aged 74 and has lived in their two-bedroom house in Essex for the past 17 years.
June, who has three children and six grandchildren, said that Ron would’ve ‘absolutely loved the design of this house’ and will be ‘looking down with an approving smile’.
Home sweet home (Picture: Errari)
June’s family (Picture: Errari)
When the Omaze team arrived to tell June she’d won the grand prize, she couldn’t believe it, and said ‘people like me don’t win things like this.’
June said: ‘I was just settling in for a standard Friday night in front of the telly – then the next thing I knew I’d won a mansion, I couldn’t believe it. The first thing I did was call my children, the second was to open a bottle of red!
‘My husband Ron died last year, but I’m sure he played a part in this win – he won it for all of us.
‘Ron always wanted us to be financially secure as a family – and this house gives us that security.
‘He spent his life working with architecture, he’d have absolutely loved this house – it’s a work of art.
She’s free to sell the home on (Picture: Errari)
The yoga studio (Picture: Errari)
‘We used to come for family holidays in Cornwall and stay in a caravan, but now we own a £4.5m mansion – it’s just unbelievable.’
With the stunning views, it was ‘love at first sight’ for June.
The property also has a yoga studio, home office that provides panoramic estuary views, a double-sided log fire, and a cinema and snug room complete with 85in TV on the other side.
There’s a balcony to sit out and admire the view from, a cantilevered staircase leads up to the first floor.
June said: ‘I’ve got six beautiful grandchildren and have now got plenty of room for all of them to come and stay – we’re going to have the best summer holiday ever.
Views on views (Picture: Errari)
Stunning (Picture: Errari)
‘Having spent some time at the house, I’m definitely going to keep it for a while, whatever I decide to do long term it’s a life changing win for our family.’
Situated in one of the most desirable waterfront locations in the country, the house has spectacular views along the estuary as well as the architecture of nearby Fowey and the surrounding Cornish countryside.
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June is free to either live in the house, rent it out or sell it.
If she decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve £5,000 – £7,000 per month from long-term rentals – and up to £14,000 a week from peak season holiday rentals.
Fowey is just 200 yards away via ferry or a short drive into a town centre that offers an excellent selection of amenities with a number of shops, banks, boutiques, bars, delicatessens and restaurants.
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The surrounding area is ideal for activities like sailing, surfing, canoeing, water skiing, windsurfing, gig rowing, cycling and scenic coastal walks.
As well as making June a multi-millionaire, the Cornwall II House Draw also raised £2,100,000 for Marie Curie, an end-of-life charity that fights to make sure everyone gets to lead the best life they can, right to the end.
The money raised will help Marie Curie to provide care and support to more people affected by terminal illness, going towards funding frontline nursing and hospice care, a free support line and a wealth of information on all aspects of dying, death and bereavement.
For the next prize draw in the Cotswolds, visit http://www.omaze.co.uk.
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June has won the ‘biggest house prize draw to be given away in the UK’.