A newlywed couple have won the keys to a luxury property in London worth over £5 million - along with a £250,000 in cash - as part of a prize draw that raised £4 million for London’s Air Ambulance Charity.
Hillary McManus, 30, and her husband Franco, 34, both originally from London but currently living in Nottinghamshire, have won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw in London – and are now the owners of an expansive 4-bedroom property in the heart of Victoria Park village, complete with a gym, games area and spa facilities including a jacuzzi and sauna.
The spectacular house is the most valuable property ever to be won in a UK prize draw.
The stunning property comes mortgage free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. The couple have also been given £250,000 in cash to help them settle in - and can decide to either live in the house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it whenever they wish to become cash multi-millionaires.
If they decide to rent out the 4,700 sq ft property, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of around £12,000 per month.
Ms McManus, who bought the winning entry worth more than £5 million for just £20, has worked as an English teacher at a local secondary school in Nottingham for the past six years.
She married her husband Franco, who is an information security analyst, in March this year. The couple had been together for 8 years before tying the knot. Ms McManus said the wedding was “the best day of our lives, we never thought we’d top it – but winning this house is running it a very close second - it’s certainly the best wedding present ever!”
They currently live in a new build, 3-bedroom house in rural Nottinghamshire, which they bought for £250,000 last year after “scrimping and saving” for four years for a deposit.
When Omaze first contacted Ms McManus to tell her she’d scooped a prize, her husband assumed they’d knocked on the wrong door.
She said: “One minute we were sitting at home gearing up for just another Friday night, deciding what we were gonna have for dinner and watch on telly, then before we knew what was happening, we’d won a £5 million house in London and our lives had changed forever - it turned out to be anything but your average Friday night!
“My husband thought they must’ve got the wrong door at first, thank goodness they hadn’t - the whole thing is just bonkers, we feel like the luckiest people in the world.
“We only just got married a couple of months ago, and that was the best day of our lives, we never thought we’d top it – but all this is running it a very close second - it’s certainly the best wedding present ever!”
She continued: “All my family enter the Omaze draws, my mum had text me only a couple of days before we found out I’d won, as she was manifesting herself winning the Cornwall house, joking that she’d maybe let me stay when she wins it – well, maybe I’ll let her stay here now I’ve won this!
“The house is absolutely jaw-dropping in real life, pictures just can’t do it justice. Our current house would literally fit into the living room, it’s unbelievable.
“It’s always been a dream of ours to live in London at some point, and Victoria Park is our favourite part of the city, there is so much we love about this area, we can’t wait to start exploring.”
She joked: “As I bought the winning entry, it’s technically my house, but what’s mine is yours when it comes to marriage – although I will be pulling rank when it comes to choosing what we watch on our new massive telly from now on!
“But genuinely, the best thing about winning this house is that I get to share it with the love of my life.
“We’ve only been married a few months and were already looking forward to planning the rest of our lives together - but this win has changed our future forever - we never have to worry about money ever again - it’s an incredible feeling.
“The £250,000 cash means if we decide we want to keep it long term, we could stay here for years without having to lift a finger, it’s great to have so many life-changing options. I love my job in Nottinghamshire and being close to my family, so it’s not a clear cut decision yet, but what a fantastic dilemma to have!”
On the couple’s upcoming honeymoon she said: “We’d already booked our honeymoon to Japan for later this year, we had planned on staying at a hotel in London the night before we flew - but now we’ll just stay at our house! I think we’ll also be upgrading to first class now, you only live once after all.”
The show piece of her new house is the breathtaking reception area which features high ceilings with triple height glazing that fills the property with natural light, creating a spacious environment rarely found in London homes.
The stunning property, set in a small enclave, incorporates bespoke joinery, black powder coated metal work as well as the triple height 8.5-meter glazing. Period features, such as exposed original Victorian brickwork, have been flawlessly combined with contemporary styling and luxury conveniences, to provide elegant open plan living spaces ideal for both entertaining guests and relaxing with friends and family.
They will be greeted by the atrium courtyard garden and triple aspect reception area on the ground floor that offers views onto the ‘living wall’ and roofless atrium.
The bespoke kitchen has a large central island and comes with Silestone tops, units finished in forest green and an array of Miele appliances - all of which are bathed in yet more natural light coming from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The ground floor also offers a large dining room, guest suite, utility room, cloakroom and further views onto the ‘living wall’ and roofless atrium. There is oak herringbone flooring throughout, complete with underfloor heating.
The lower ground floor offers dual access and is home to an additional reception and living area - as well as a games room with pool table, a home bar, a fully kitted out gym and a spa complete with jacuzzi and sauna.
This floor gives her access to the garden area in the roofless atrium. The highest point of the property reaches over 11 metres.
Heading up, the feature staircase provides the perfect view of the show stopping reception space. There is a study area on the landing as well as two further en suite bedrooms on the first floor.
The top floor is reserved for the main bedroom suite with a dressing area, bespoke cabinetry, additional seating area and en suite bathroom. There is also eaves storage on this floor.
The house is nestled in the heart of the desirable ‘Victoria Village’ community, in East London, and is just a 4min walk to Victoria Park.
As well as making the couple multi-millionaires, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, London, raised £4 million for London’s Air Ambulance Charity in just six weeks.
London’s Air Ambulance teams attended to more than 2,000 patients last year and are the only service in London who can perform life-saving interventions such as blood transfusions, and open chest surgery at the scene, whenever they are needed.
Each year, it costs London’s Air Ambulance Charity £15 million to provide a 365 day a year, 24/7 service. It will cost an additional £15 million to replace its two current helicopters, bring each new helicopter into service and keep them flying for years to come.
London’s Air Ambulance Charity CEO Jonathan Jenkins said: “Two years ago, the charity launched its most ambitious ever fundraising effort, looking to raise an additional £15 million to replace its two current helicopters.
“It was a huge challenge, but we have been blown away by how people have shared our belief in our life-saving cause. Thanks to the record-breaking amount raised by the Omaze community, the appeal has now passed its £15 million target ahead of its September deadline, meaning the charity can continue to save lives across the city and be there whenever and wherever we are most needed.”
The partnership was backed by ex-England football captain & London’s Air Ambulance Charity supporter David Beckham.
James Oakes, Chief International Officer at Omaze, said: “Everyone at Omaze is delighted that Hillary and Franco have won their dream home in London, whilst also contributing to our biggest ever raise of £4 million for London’s Air Ambulance Charity.”
Draw entries for the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Cornwall are available now at omaze.co.uk. The Draw closes on Monday, August 26 for online entries and Wednesday, August 28 2024 for postal entries.
