A 72-year-old grandmother from Scotland was left stunned after initially believing she had won a horse, only to discover that she had actually scooped a £4 million coastal mansion in Cornwall with a £15 Omaze entry.
asserted
she → leave → entry
Mary Dickson, from Castle Douglas in south-west Scotland, almost missed out on the life-changing prize after ignoring calls from unknown numbers.
asserted
Dickson → miss → numbers
When Omaze eventually contacted her and took her to a reveal location, she was even more confused when the first thing she saw was a horse standing in a field.
asserted
she → contact → field
‘I said thanks but no thanks!’
asserted
I → say → thanks
Recalling the unusual moment, Mary was quoted as saying by SWNS, “The first thing I saw when I turned the corner was a horse.
asserted
I → recall → corner
I said thanks but no thanks!
asserted
I → say → thanks
Then I realised I’d actually won a house, not a horse, so I quickly said thank you very much!”
asserted
I → realise → you
Mary had entered the Omaze draw as part of her subscription, paying just £15 for the chance to win the four-bedroom property near the fishing village of Coverack in Cornwall.
asserted
Mary → enter → Cornwall
The grandmother said she nearly missed the call confirming her win because she had no mobile signal and generally does not answer calls from numbers she does not recognise.
asserted
she → say → numbers
“I ignored Omaze’s calls at first.
asserted
I → ignore → calls
But they texted me, so I checked them out online, they looked like the real deal, so I thought I’d better call back.
asserted
I → texte → deal
Thank goodness I did!” she said.
asserted
she → thank → goodness
“All the family came to see the reveal, I was gobsmacked when they told me it was the house.”
asserted
it → come → me
The family later headed to a pub to celebrate, although Mary opted for coffee rather than an alcoholic drink.
asserted
Mary → head → coffee
“Although I’m looking forward to a glass of wine by my new pool,” she added.
asserted
she → look → pool
Four-bedroom mansion comes mortgage-free
The Cornwall home comes mortgage-free with £250,000 cash.
asserted
home → come → cash
Mary and her husband John, 76, will receive the property mortgage-free, with stamp duty and legal fees covered.
asserted
duty → receive → property
The prize also includes £250,000 in cash and £200,000 worth of furnishings.
asserted
prize → include → furnishings
The couple, who have lived in a terrace house in Castle Douglas since 2000, say they are in no hurry to decide what they will ultimately do with their new home.
asserted
they → live → home
“We’re going to keep it for a while and just enjoy it and we can’t wait to host Christmas here with all the family,” Mary said.
asserted
Mary → go → family
The property boasts panoramic sea views and direct access to Porthbeer Cove.
asserted
property → boast → Cove
Designed around its coastal setting, the house features floor-to-ceiling windows and four double bedrooms, three of which have dressing rooms and en-suite bathrooms.
asserted
three → design → rooms
The first floor includes an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area, along with a study, conservatory, boot room and utility room.
asserted
floor → include → study
Outside, the expansive grounds feature a heated swimming pool with a swim-up bar, sunken banquette seating and a fire pit.
asserted
grounds → feature → bar
Despite the property having stables, Mary has made it clear that the couple are not planning to add horse ownership to their list of new commitments.
asserted
couple → have → commitments
The stunning mansion features a heated outdoor swimming pool.
asserted
mansion → feature → pool
Mary began entering Omaze draws after a colleague won an Omaze house in the Lake District in 2023.
asserted
colleague → begin → 2023
“When I saw that he’d won, it made me realise real people really do win these houses - I did wonder if he’d used up all the luck around here, but it must’ve rubbed off on me,” she said.
asserted
she → see → me
Mary said she texted her colleague after discovering her own win because he was “the only person I knew who could possibly know how I was feeling”.
uncertain
I → say → win
The couple last visited Cornwall around 20 years ago, when they travelled along the coast and stayed in hotels.
asserted
they → visit → hotels
They never imagined their next visit would involve viewing their own multimillion-pound home.
asserted
visit → imagine → home
“We never imagined that when we next came back to Cornwall, it would be to see our very own £4million mansion.
asserted
it → imagine → mansion
It’s absolutely stunning, we just can’t believe it’s all ours,” Mary said.
asserted
Mary → ’ → ?
“Our house in Scotland could probably fit on the turning circle on our new driveway.”
uncertain
house → fit → driveway
She also joked about the journey south, referencing Scottish band The Proclaimers.
asserted
She → joke → band
“Funnily enough, The Proclaimers popped up on the telly promoting their new album the morning we went to see the house for the first time - fitting really, as we gladly went 500 miles to arrive at this door!”
asserted
we → pop → door
A win that will change the family’s future
The couple plans to celebrate Christmas in their new Cornwall home.
asserted
couple → change → home
John spent 27 years working as a draughtsman at a Motherwell steelworks before moving into an IT role with the fire and rescue service.
asserted
John → spend → service
He retired in 2011.
asserted
He → retire → 2011
The couple have been together since 1996 and married in 2017.
asserted
couple → marry → 2017
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
