A MUM of two from north Essex has seen her life "change forever" after winning the keys to a stunning new home worth millions of pounds after entering a competition... for just £10.
Sarah Stocks, 43, is now the proud owner of a £3 million property in the beautiful Cotswolds after entering and winning the Omaze prize draw.
The mum-of-two currently lives in a rented four-bedroom house in Brightlingsea with her two children, her partner Brett and his two children.
When Omaze first contacted Sarah to tell her she’d scooped a prize, she was convinced her friends were playing an elaborate practical joke on her.
A spellbound Sarah, who has worked in HR for the past two years, 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 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.
“The house is absolutely gorgeous inside and out, the kitchen and dining area is probably bigger than our current house, it's just unbelievable.
“I love being surrounded by so much picturesque countryside - the Cotswolds is such a beautiful part of the world. The village seems idyllic and most importantly there is a lovely pub two minutes down the road - what more could you ask for.
“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."
Sarah’s new home is a 4,700 sq ft Cotswolds property set in a third of an acre of landscaped gardens - and is located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, near Charlbury.
The Cotswold stone house offers wonderful views overlooking rolling fields and the idyllic countryside.
“I work from home so it's safe to say my office has just had a big upgrade," she added.
“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.
“As a mother I’m obviously delighted that the draw raised so much money for GOSH Charity.
"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.”
Omaze is one of the founder partners of the transformational project and aims to achieve the £10 million donation through its first ever multi-year partnership, which will see it support GOSH Charity through multiple house draws to raise the vital funds.
Every day, around 750 children and young people from across the UK are seen at GOSH for life-changing treatment and care.
The hospital has always depended on charitable support to give seriously ill children the best chance to fulfil their potential.
GOSH Charity provides funding beyond what the NHS covers to help provide world-leading care, expertise and facilities.
This includes the Charity’s biggest ever fundraising appeal to help a state-of-the-art new Children’s Cancer Centre at GOSH, to drive transformation in children’s cancer care and save more lives.
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 for GOSH Charity in just six weeks.
“This donation will be invaluable in helping us to build a world-leading new Children’s Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital, helping to save more children’s lives and beat childhood cancer once and for all.
“We’re thrilled to have partnered with Omaze for the second time, and look forward to continuing our amazing partnership over the next five years.
“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. The first partnership, in 2021, raised £500k that helped GOSH Charity support the hospital’s most urgent needs.
James Oakes, 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 towards our £10 million pledge to help build the new Children’s Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital.”
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