Yahoo News Plymouth man wins luxurious Omaze £3.5m mansion
A Plymouth man has won a £3.5m mansion in an Omaze charity prize draw. Kevin Bryant, aged 53, is now the owner of a luxurious five-bedroom home in the heart of Cheshire’s Golden Triangle where several Premier League footballers will be his new neighbours.
Those might include some stars from Manchester City - the team Mr Bryant has supported since he was a boy. Mr Bryant has also pocketed £100,000 in cash as part of the draw, which raised £3m for the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK.
The property, in Prestbury, comes mortgage-free and with all legal fees and stamp duty covered. Mr Bryan now has to 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, estate agents estimate the property could achieve a long-term rental value of £20,000 per month. Mr Bryant, who bought his winning entry for just £25 as part of his monthly Omaze subscription, works for a company that provides IT support for a local authority and the NHS. He previously served in the Royal Navy for 11 years on submarines, as a weapons engineer.
His wife of 32 years has worked for the NHS for 30 years, and the couple have lived in their current three-bedroom Georgian terrace house in Plymouth since 2005. When Kevin found out he’d won he cracked open an 18-year-old bottle of whisky he’d been saving for a “special occasion”.
He said: “I’d been manifesting this win for ages, telling anyone who would listen that the house was already mine. But when I came home from work to see the Omaze team outside my house I still couldn’t believe my eyes.
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“Once everyone had gone I cracked open the good whisky to celebrate. I thought if you can’t drink a good whisky after winning a £3.5m house, when can you? It was the longest bank holiday ever - I didn’t really sleep - I just couldn’t wait to come and see what I’d won. The house is absolutely gorgeous, just stunning.
“With a kitchen as nice as this I better learn how to cook. We’ve got a large extended family and lots of wonderful friends. We can’t wait to host everyone here.”
He added: “My mum was born in Greater Manchester so this is a bit of a homecoming really. She already has her eye on the room with the walk-in wardrobe. She’s still working at 77-years-old - but now I'm hoping she’ll finally consider retirement.
“I love the area as I come up here to watch my beloved Manchester City whenever I can. I can't believe I now own a house in footballers’ paradise where a lot of the squad live. Maybe I’ll bump into Jack Grealish or Pep Guardiola when I pop out to get a pint of milk.
“I love golf, and actually had to cancel a golf trip to come and see the house, but obviously it was well worth it as this certainly feels like a home in one.
“Even though we’ve won this amazing house, plus £100,000 in cash, my wife is insisting that she wants to keep her 11-year-old Skoda Roomster. We’ll definitely stand out at the local supermarket parked next to all the Lamborghinis.”
He added: “This win changes everything for us - it gives us so many options. I might consider early retirement. Work can be very stressful for both of us. My wife has worked for the NHS for 30 years and that can take its toll. So we were both already thinking about making changes to our lives. This win enables us to do just that now. She’s always wanted to drive a tractor for a living, so we’ll ask the farmer next door if he’s hiring.
“I’ve had some health issues recently, so I feel lucky to be here at all, let alone as the owner of a £3.5m pound house. I’ve entered the Omaze house draws a couple of times before, as a lot of the charities are close to my heart. My mother-in-law had Alzheimer's, so when I saw how much Omaze had raised for Alzheimer's Research UK, I decided to subscribe, and I'm very glad I did.
“I’m not sure what we’ll do long term yet. We’ll definitely come up and enjoy it as a family for a bit. Whatever we decide to do, this win is going to change our lives forever.”
Mr Bryant’s new home is in one of the most exclusive areas in the country and has been meticulously designed to provide a blend of traditional and contemporary style, incorporating a mixture of brick, sandstone detailing and timber cladding.
The 7,000sq ft new-build property is surrounded by manicured grounds including south facing gardens to the rear and a gated private driveway with ample parking. The house has a galleried entrance hall with a feature staircase. Large windows provide beautiful views, but also fill the home with natural light.
The main reception rooms have bi-folding doors leading to the gardens and a terrace that captures the light all day with the south-facing aspect. The spacious, bespoke, handmade, open-plan kitchen, living and dining area includes a range of integrated Miele appliances, coffee station, a large central island and a walk-in pantry with bi-folding doors leading onto the rear terrace.
The main living room features more bi-folding doors that also open onto the rear garden. The ground floor has a cinema room, a study with views over the front of the house and a home gym with a shower room. There is home audio and underfloor heating throughout the ground floor.
The first-floor features five bedrooms, three of which have en suite bathrooms with fitted dressing areas. The main bedroom suite has a huge walk-in dressing room, a fitted en suite bathroom including a walk-in rainfall shower, a tiled bath and a large backlit mirror concealed television.
The main bedroom has its own night kitchen with a built-in fridge and windows overlooking the rear garden. The other two bedrooms have built-in wardrobes and share the family bathroom.
Outside there is a double garage with electric doors and separate suite above with its own entrance and use of the ground-floor shower room. To the front of the property there is box hedging and planting with additional lawned areas and large south facing gardens to the rear with lawns, mature hedging, planted borders, and a large patio spanning the width of the house with external audio speakers.
The village of Prestbury is within a short walk of the property and is known for its range of upmarket shops, eateries and schools, including the new Kings School Macclesfield, together with a tennis club, park, and train station enabling easy access to Manchester and London.
As well as making Mr Bryant a multi-millionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Cheshire, raised £3m for the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK. It was set up to continue the legacy of Dame Deborah James, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016, aged 35, and went on to become a campaigner and fundraiser.
About 44,100 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK each year, making it the fourth most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death. The Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK funds cutting-edge research and raises awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer.
The money raised by the partnership with Omaze will fully fund a research project that hopes to harness the power of the immune system to destroy cancer. Dame Deborah’s mum, Heather James, said “This is a staggering sum of money raised. Deborah would be over the moon with this amount. Thank you to everyone who entered the draw. Deborah touched the lives of so many when she was alive and this money will help continue her legacy through the Bowelbabe Fund and make a difference to people affected by cancer.”
Phil Almond, executive director of Marketing, fundraising and engagement at Cancer Research UK, said:“We’re thrilled that the Omaze house draw has raised an incredible £3m for the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK and want to thank everyone who entered.”
This is the second time Cancer Research UK has teamed up with Omaze. The first partnership in 2021 raised £500,000 for the charity’s work. It was Omaze’s 25th house draw and saw it return to where the first Omaze house was given away in 2020.
James Oakes, chief international officer at Omaze, said: “Omaze gives people the chance to win amazing houses, like this incredible house in Cheshire, whilst also introducing charities to vast new audiences that would otherwise be out of reach. We’re incredibly proud that the Omaze community has raised over £40 million for good causes across the UK.”
Draw entries for the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Dorset, in aid of Children in Need, are available now at omaze.co.uk . The Draw closes on May 27 for online entries and May 29 for postal entries. Entrants can also choose to subscribe to Omaze to be entered into every Grand Prize and Early Bird Prize each month. Omaze subscribers receive double the amount of entries compared to non-subscribers and can cancel their subscription at any time. For terms and conditions, see www.omaze.co.uk . No purchase necessary to enter. Over 18s and UK residents only.
