A widow cashing in after winning a luxury Cornish mansion in a £25 raffle says the money from the sale of the £4.5m-valued property will make ‘a huge difference’ to her six grandchildren.
June Smith, 74, was given the keys to the huge three-storey house overlooking the Fowey Estuary just weeks ago in May, and told of how she called her children and then opened a bottle of red wine after her triumph in the Omaze draw.
The property was said to be the biggest-ever house prize to be given away in a draw in Britain and came mortgage free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered.
But despite pledging at the time to ‘definitely keep it for a while’ and to take advantage of its built-in yoga studio, Pieds Dans L Eau has already appeared on property website, Rightmove.
Ms Smith said today that she was looking to sell so that the money could help her children and grandchildren ‘with the next chapter in their lives’ – after the family enjoyed one ‘magical’ summer holiday together.
June Smith, 74, was given the keys to the luxury six-bedroom property in Cornwall in May
The property was said to be the biggest-ever house prize to be given away in a draw in Britain and came mortgage free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered
Despite pledging at the time to ‘definitely keep it for a while’ and to take advantage of its built-in yoga studio, Pieds Dans L Eau has already appeared on property website, Rightmove
‘Winning this house has been an incredible experience, I still can’t believe it all actually happened to me, it still feels so surreal,’ she said.
‘I wanted to enjoy at least one family holiday here before I put it on the market.
What others have won in Omaze prize draws
Ian Garrick – November 2020
Britain’s first Omaze winner, policeman Ian Garrick, 58, from Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, won a house in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, which he later sold for £1.1million. It meant he could retire and move to a £500,000 detached house with views of the countryside.
Catherine Carwardine, April 2022
NHS worker Catherine Carwardine, 60, from Wolverhampton, won a £3million six-bedroom house overlooking Lake Windermere. Beforehand, she and her her husband Chris had been fostering children at their five-bedroom house in Telford, Shropshire, for five years.
Uttam Parmar, August 2022
Operations manager Uttam Parmar, 58, from Leicestershire, won a four-bedroom Cornish house with panoramic views of the Camel Estuary. He and his wife Raki, 53, initially put the house on the market for £4million – but since then they have decided to hang onto the property for now.
‘We all came and stayed together and absolutely love the house and Cornwall – and my six grandchildren have certainly made the most of it.
‘The house is just wonderful and it’s been a magical holiday that we’ll remember forever.
‘I knew winning this house would be life changing for all my family, and that’s why I’ve decided to sell now, as I want to use the money to help all my children and grandchildren with the next chapter in their lives.
‘The money is going to make such a huge difference to all of us.’
The listing describes the house as ‘a striking, state-of-the-art waterfront home commanding an elevated position over the Fowey Estuary with uninterrupted, panoramic views.’
Viewings are strictly by appointment with agent JB Estates while the site’s mortgage calculator estimates monthly repayments of £26,467 over 25 years.
The sale is not the first time a prize draw winner has made such a decision.
Britain’s first Omaze winner, policeman Ian Garrick, from Mablethorpe, Lincs, didn’t hesitate when he heard he had won a £1million-plus house in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire in November 2020.
‘I sold it as soon as I could,’ he told MailOnline earlier this year.
‘I didn’t want to move across the country and leave friends and family, but it did change my life as it enabled me to take early retirement from the police and lay down solid foundations for financial security for me and my sons.’
Ian’s wife Julie had died from cancer five years earlier and he said the £1million-plus gift gave him and his sons James, 32, Callum 24 and Nathan 21, a boost after years ‘in limbo’.
Last April, NHS worker Catherine Carwardine, 60, from Wolverhampton, won a £3million six-bedroom house overlooking Lake Windermere.
Beforehand, she and her her husband Chris had been fostering children at their five-bedroom house in Telford, Shropshire, for five years.
She revealed earlier this year that she is renting out the property.
Meanwhile last August, operations manager Uttam Parmar, 58, from Leicestershire, won a four-bedroom Cornish house with panoramic views of the Camel Estuary.
He and his wife Raki, 53, initially put the house on the market for £4million – but since decided to hang onto the property as a holiday home.
Ms Smith had tears of joy after winning the property when she revealed that the last time she stayed in Cornwall was in a caravan and how her late husband, Ron, would have loved it.
Ron, to whom she was married for 43 years, died last year when he suffered a heart attack at 74. Ms Smith has lived in her two-bedroom detached house in Essex for the past 17 years.
She worked as a bookkeeper before she had children while Ron worked as an architectural designer all his life.
(From left to right) June Smith’s son Rory Smith, June Smith herself, her granddaughter Lilian Smith, her daughter Katharine Smith, her granddaughter Nicole Bysouth-Smith, Rory’s fiancé Rebecca Swinn and Rebecca’s mother Barbara Swinn
June Smith, 74, was given the keys to the huge three-storey house overlooking the Fowey Estuary just weeks ago in May, and told of how she called her children and then opened a bottle of red wine after her triumph in the Omaze draw
Widowed grandmother-of-six June Smith was given the freedom to either live in the house, rent it out or sell it
After winning the draw, Ms Smith was given the freedom to either live in the house, rent it out or sell it, with local estate agents estimating it could achieve £5,000 to £7,000 per month from long-term rentals – and up to £14,000 a week for peak season holidays.
Ms Smith, who has three children and six grandchildren, said at the time that Ron would have ‘absolutely loved the design of this house’ and will be ‘looking down with an approving smile’.
She could not believe she had won the grand prize, saying: ‘People like me don’t win things like this.’
Ms Smith 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. We used to come for family holidays in Cornwall and stay in a caravan, but now we own a £4.5million mansion – it’s just unbelievable.
‘The house is truly stunning and the views are simply breathtaking, even the rain couldn’t dampen our spirits when we first came here, it was love at first sight.
‘It has its own yoga studio, so maybe I’ll take that up, although my son says it would make a great bar too.
‘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.
‘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.’
Ms Smith has three children – Katherine, Wesley and Rory. Katherine and Rory live in East Anglia with two children each, while Wesley lives on the Gold Coast of Australia with his wife and two children.
Local estate agents estimate it could achieve up to £7,000 per month from long-term rentals
The grandmother won the property prize in an Omaze Million Pound House Draw
June Smith won the property in what is said to have been the UK’s biggest ever house draw
The house provides spectacular views along the estuary as well as the architecture of nearby Fowey and the surrounding Cornish countryside.
The property, which comes with furnishings included, was designed by the West Country architects Harrison Sutton.
It has a bright and airy entrance hall, with an adjacent home office that provides panoramic estuary views with floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides of the room.
The main sitting room has a double-sided log fire, with a cinema and snug room complete with an 85in TV on the other side, that leads out to a west facing patio.
A kitchen and breakfast room features a central island and glazed sliding doors on two sides that lead out onto a cantilevered balcony.
In addition to Smallbone units and Sub-Zero appliances, there are two dishwashers, a hot water tap and a Wolf cooker with a Teppanyaki cooker and griddle.
A secondary kitchen pantry sits on the other side of the hallway, next to a dining room.
A cantilevered staircase leads up to the first floor, where a large open landing leads to the main bedroom, which has glazed walls on two sides.
In addition to a dressing area, there is an en-suite bathroom with a walk in shower.
The £4.5million mansion comes mortgage free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered
The property could generate up to £14,000 a week from peak season holiday rentals
The main sitting room has a double-sided log fire, with a cinema and snug room
June Smith also won £100,000 in cash in the prize draw
Ms Smith lost her husband of 43 years, Ron, last year when he suffered a heart attack at 74
A ground floor bedroom with en-suite bathroom is accessed from the sitting room. The bedroom also has access to the balcony in front of the sitting room.
A secondary staircase leads from the sitting room to a guest bedroom with en-suite bathroom and access to a shared balcony.
A yoga studio sits in one part of the garden and at the far end there is a seating area with views down the estuary.
The draw also raised £2.1million for the end-of-life charity Marie Curie.
