Dad nearly missed out on winning £2m home because he 'fancied a pint' at the pub

A lucky dad nearly missed out on winning a £2M home - because he 'fancied a pint' at the pub. Tom Steenson, 63, received a knock at the door telling him he'd scooped the four bed house and £250K in cash. But at first he thought about not answering in case the call would "interfere with my trip to the pub''.

Tom, originally from Bolton but now living in Maidstone, did open the door and discovered he'd won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Devon. He said ''missing that pint made me a millionaire - it’s the best pint I’ve never had!" He is now the proud owner of a contemporary, four-bedroom house near the picturesque coastal town of Exmouth. It comes complete with a heated swimming pool as well as spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding scenery and coastline.

His new property comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. He also scooped a whopping £250,000 in cash to help him settle in and can decide to either live in the house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it whenever he wishes to become a cash multi-millionaire.

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If he decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of between £6,000 to £7,000 per month. Tom, who bought his multi-million-pound winning entry for just £20, as part of his Omaze subscription, was on his way to the pub when Omaze first knocked on his door to tell him he’d scooped a prize. His wife of 35 years Carole, 58, answered the door.

Tom was stunned when an unexpected visit from Omaze turned out to be a life-changing moment, nearly missed due to a planned trip to the pub. Recounting the experience, he said: "Obviously I always answer when my wife calls and thank goodness I do! Missing that pint made me a millionaire - it’s the best pint I’ve never had! " Laughing about the initial confusion, he added: "It was just another Friday really. I was off to get a haircut and then planned to go straight to the pub for an end of the week beer with pals, so I was out when Omaze came knocking."

Tom added: "Our daughter came over and we celebrated with a couple of bottles of champagne and a big Chinese takeaway! For once the fortune cookies were correct!"

He said: "The house is just magnificent, it looks like something out of a film! It’s not unfair to say it’s a bit nicer than where we currently live! My wife is a part-time cleaner and cleans houses like this every now and then - but we never thought we’d end up owning one! We love the house, there's loads of space for all our friends and family to come and stay. The pool looks great! It’s a bit nippy today but if I had my trunks I'd definitely be tempted to dive in! Devon is beautiful, we love being in the countryside and by the sea. Waking up to these rolling hills and sea views will never get dull."

On his connection to CALM he said: "The charity means a lot to me personally, I’ve had issues with my mental health over the years - I was struggling in 2019, it was a really tough time, but support networks like CALM helped me through a really dark time. I can’t believe where I am today, it’s one hell of a turnaround from then to now! I’m so happy Omaze has raised so much money for CALM - it’s such an important charity."

On his big win, he said: "This win means we’ll never have to worry about money ever again - it’s a dream come true. I could retire early, but my boss doesn’t have to worry as I’ll keep working for a while yet, I like to stay busy. Our grandkids are going to love this place, they’ve already planned a big pool party. Our son lives in Australia and if this place doesn’t get him back for Christmas, nothing will! We can fly him over now of course - maybe business class if he plays his cards right! We’ll definitely enjoy the house for a bit, but we’ll most likely sell it, maybe next year, as the money we’ll get is life-changing for the entire family.

"Thanks to £250k we’ve pocketed as part of the win, we could afford to stay here for ten years if we wanted to. Selling and banking the cash would enable us to help all our children and grandchildren - it's a generational legacy for our family. We could help our kids get on the property ladder now - it’s all very exciting!"

The property boasts an impressive atrium with a skylight overhead, providing a fantastic sense of space and light. The heart of the home is the double-height sitting and dining room space, complete with a galleried landing above and sliding glass doors below that open onto the manicured rear gardens.

The southeast-facing garden to the rear includes an elevated terrace, swimming pool, an area of lawn and far-reaching views across the surrounding fields and out to sea. As well as making Tom a multi-millionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Devon, raised £3.5 million for Campaign Against Living Miserably - CALM.

Someone in the UK dies by suicide every 90 minutes. It’s now the leading cause of death for young people and men under 50.

CALM's services are in higher demand than ever, with their suicide prevention helpline receiving a call every 59 seconds. The charity has stated that managing such a high volume of calls is an ongoing challenge.

The funds raised from the partnership with Omaze represent the largest single donation in the charity’s history and will make a significant difference. These funds will be directed towards CALM's suicide prevention services, including their life-saving helpline, helping more people find hope and reasons to stay alive, thus keeping more families and loved ones together.

Comedian and CALM Patron, Romesh Ranganathan, supported the Omaze partnership and expressed his delight at the "unbelievable" amount raised. Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM, said: "We knew this partnership with Omaze would be game-changing for us, but this is way beyond what we imagined. £3.5 million is an unbelievable, life-saving amount and could mean we’re able to safeguard our suicide prevention helpline for the next 2 years and save so many lives in the process.'' He added: "At a time when our services have never been needed more, this money will be vital in ensuring people get the support they need to end their misery, not their lives."

Entries for the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw, on the Wirral, are open now at omaze.co.uk. The Draw closes on Sunday, November 24 for online entries and Tuesday, November 26 for postal entries.

Entrants can also opt to subscribe to Omaze to be automatically entered into every Grand Prize Draw each month. Omaze subscribers receive at least four times the number of entries compared to non-subscribers and can cancel their subscription at any time.

For full terms and conditions, visit www.omaze.co.uk. No purchase necessary to enter.

Over 18s and UK residents only.