A grandfather has stunned his wife by secretly winning them a £4.5million Yorkshire estate after entering a house draw behind her back.
Ian Roberts, 66, splashed out just £25 on an Omaze subscription before scooping the competition’s latest grand prize, a Downton Abbey-style mansion complete with boating lake, swimming pool, tennis court and equestrian facilities.
His new estate sits within 16 acres of landscaped gardens and rolling paddocks, with panoramic views across the Vale of Mowbray towards the Yorkshire Moors.
The luxurious home comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered.
Mr Roberts has also pocketed £500,000 cash and can move in, rent it out for around £10,000 a month or sell up entirely.
Local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of around £10,000 per month.
Mr Roberts, who recently retired after more than three decades working in London, now lives in Warwickshire with wife Viv, also 66. They have three adult children and three grandchildren.
When Omaze first contacted Ian to tell him he had scooped a prize, he almost didn’t pick up the winning call as he and Viv were ‘busy chopping carrots’ preparing dinner for friends. Moments later he opened the door to cameras.
‘When I answered, the person on the other end of the line said I’d won an Omaze prize, I thought they were having me on!’ he said.
‘When I opened the door and saw the cameras, I thought maybe the best-case scenario could be a car or a cash prize.
‘Then the next thing we knew, I’m the owner of an amazing mansion in Yorkshire. We were completely bowled over, just in total disbelief. I’m not sure it will ever sink in.
‘My wife didn’t even know I’d entered, so she was doubly surprised! We told the immediate family, all 14 of them!
‘They couldn’t believe it either, they were all convinced we were winding them up.
‘I never imagined a £25 ticket would turn into this. I’ve entered things my whole life and the only thing we’d ever won before was two tickets to a concert that ended up being cancelled anyway!
‘I can’t get my head around the fact I’ve won something so special – it’s like our very own Downton Abbey.
‘Everything about this house is special, even the pool house looks more like an actual house, it’s almost as big as our first flat!
‘Now we have our own tennis court, I suppose I should probably work on my serve!
‘Our grandchildren will love exploring and having adventures here, it will be one giant playground for them – although we might need walkie-talkies to keep track of them!
‘To be honest, I was already having a good week as Arsenal had just beaten Spurs – and then Omaze came knocking. So, a great few days, but winning the house definitely tops it!’
On the impact for his family, he said: ‘We love big family gatherings, and now we’ve got the perfect house to bring everyone together. It’s our 40th wedding anniversary next year, and I think we’ve found the perfect venue for a party.
‘Long term we don’t know what we’ll do yet, but we’re definitely going to enjoy this incredible place as a family before we make any decisions. We’re very excited, whatever we decide to do, it will have a massive impact on our lives.
‘The £500,000 means if we wanted to, we could actually afford to stay here for years, it’s fantastic to have that option.’
He added: ‘I’m so proud to be part of the Omaze Community that raised so much for Refuge.’
As well as Ian winning a multi-million-pound property, Omaze partnered with Refuge, the UK’s largest specialist domestic abuse charity, which supports survivors through emergency refuge accommodation, community-based services and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline.
The guaranteed £1 million donation from the Omaze Community will help Refuge provide more standalone safe homes and specialist support for women and their children escaping abuse, enabling more families to rebuild their lives free from fear.
The campaign was backed by comedian and Refuge supporter Sara Pascoe.
Sara said: ‘What an incredible result! Thanks to the fabulous Omaze community, Refuge will receive a guaranteed £1 million to help provide more safe, accessible accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse.
‘This funding will go towards providing self-contained homes for those who aren’t able to access communal refuges, including those with disabilities, larger families, older sons, or much-loved pets, and could help as many as 60 families over the next five years.’
