A lucky grandmother, who has worked with homeless people for 20 years, has won the keys to a beautiful house in North Yorkshire worth over £2.5 million - along with £250,000 in cash.
Jo Booth (61) from Dorset has won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Yorkshire after buying a ticket for just a tenner.
She is now the proud owner of an 18th century Georgian country house in Ryedale boasting six-bedrooms, 15 acres of gardens and a spa pool - as well as its own paddocks, stables and state-of-the-art equestrian facilities.
Normanby House at Sinnington, west of Pickering, comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. She won £250,000 in cash to help her settle in and can decide to either live in the house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it whenever she wishes to become a cash multi-millionaire.
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Jo, who bought her multi-million-pound winning entry for just £10 as part of her Omaze subscription, joked that when Omaze came calling at her door, her first thought was that they ”might be burglars!”
She has been married to husband Will Harrop (51) for 17 years - and the couple have lived in their 3-bedroom house in Dorset, that Will built himself, for the past 15 years.
Jo has worked with the homeless for almost 20 years, setting up a Community Interest Company (CIC) that works with local authorities to provide accommodation for people who are rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping.
She has two grandchildren, a boy aged 11 and girl aged 6. She said her golden labrador, Charlie, “will enjoy her massive new garden just as much as her grandchildren.”
An ecstatic Jo said: “One minute you’re living a life where you worry about all the boring bills - and the next minute you’re a multi-millionaire and never have to worry about money ever again - it’s a dream come true!”
On her career in the charitable sector, she said: “I’ve worked with the homeless for almost 20-years now, I love my job - but you don’t do it for the money that’s for sure. I thought I’d still be working when I was 90 years old at this rate, but winning this house means I can finally think about retiring.
“I’ve never had a pension, but I reckon I’ll be alright now I've got this place! I’ll always do volunteer work, helping people is just in my nature, you can’t switch off caring.”
“We always give as much as we can to charity - that’s why I’ve been entering Omaze draws as even if I hadn't won - we’ve still contributed towards a worthy cause like Mencap.”
As well as making Jo a multi-millionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Yorkshire, raised £3,900,000 for Mencap.
Mencap supports people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives by supporting them directly and campaigning with them to make communities and society fairer and more inclusive.
Jon Sparkes OBE, Chief Executive at Mencap, said: “On behalf of everyone at Mencap, and the 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability, I want to thank everyone who entered this draw and helped reach this incredible total.”
The partnership with Omaze was backed by actor, Dr Who star, and proud Yorkshire native, Jodie Whittaker, who said: "Wow, what a fantastic amount of money for Mencap, which is an absolutely brilliant cause. I'm over the moon that this partnership will have such an impact for people with a learning disability."
James Oakes, Chief International Officer at Omaze, said: “Everyone at Omaze is delighted that Jo has won this beautiful house in Yorkshire, whilst also contributing to the £3,900,000 raised for Mencap.”
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