Golf-playing charity worker wins £2.5m 'home in one' in Yorkshire with Omaze Million Pound House prize draw
This was the moment when a golf-playing grandma found out she had won a £2.5m home ‘like something out of Downton Abbey’ - and thought she was being burgled when the Omaze Million Pound House prize draw team arrived to tell her the news.
Video shows how a lucky grandmother won the keys to a Yorkshire manor house worth over £2.5 million - but thought she was being broken into! Jo Booth, 61, has won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Yorkshire - and you can take a look inside her beautiful new home in the footage above.
Mrs Booth, from Dorset, is now the proud owner of an 18th century Georgian country house - says she ‘skived off work’ to play a round of golf with her husband, Will Harrop, 51, when she found out the ‘surreal’ good news.
An ecstatic Jo said: “I was already having a pretty good day to be fair, I’d shot my best ever round of golf, and was thinking life doesn’t get much better than this - but then I found out I’d won a multi-million-pound house, and realised I'd scored a home in one as well!”
Jo has worked with the homeless for almost 20 years, setting up a Community Interest Company (CIC) that works with local authorities to provide accommodation for people who are rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping.
She added: “It was such a surreal day - one minute you’re living a life where you worry about all the boring bills - and the next minute you’re a multi-millionaire and never have to worry about money ever again - it’s a dream come true!”
Jo said the home is even more spectacular than in the photos, and ‘like something out of Downton Abbey’. She joked that she may have to buy her grand-daughter a pony now, to make use of the stables.
“My grandchildren are going to love this place, they’ll be causing mayhem and making memories in no time! The garden is so big we could build our own golf course - and waking up to the views of Pickering Vale will never get old.
Jo’s new home is located in the desirable district of Ryedale, her property is an outstanding example of Georgian architecture, surrounded by countryside and set in a commanding position with spectacular views across the Vale of Pickering.
As well as making Jo a multi-millionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Yorkshire, raised £3,900,000 for Mencap. Jon Sparkes OBE, Chief Executive at Mencap, said: “The money from this Omaze partnership will quite literally change lives. It will enable Mencap to fund crucial campaigning work, helping us to break down barriers and create a fairer, more inclusive society where people with a learning disability can thrive.”
James Oakes, Chief International Officer at Omaze, said: “Everyone at Omaze is delighted that Jo has won this beautiful house in Yorkshire, whilst also contributing to the £3,900,000 raised for Mencap.
“Omaze offers people the chance to win amazing houses, like this incredible house in Yorkshire, whilst also introducing charities to large new audiences that would otherwise be out of reach – it’s a win-win for entrants and charities. We’re immensely proud that the Omaze community has now raised over £60 million for good causes across the UK.”
Draw entries for the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Devon, are available now at omaze.co.uk. The Draw closes on Sunday 27th October for online entries and Tuesday 29th October 2024 for postal entries.