Lucky Wigan grandad wins £2m holiday villa in Marbella plus £250k in cash – for just £25 - as part of a charity fund-raising campaign

Mark won the first ever Omaze Million Pound House “Superdraw” - a stunning three-storey, four-bedroom luxury villa in the holiday hotspot of Marbella – Omaze’s first house draw outside the UK.

The 57-year-old, who is originally from Wigan but now lives in Devon, had entered nine previous Omaze Million Pound House Draws since the fund-raising platform launched in 2020 - and said the Marbella villa was a case of “10th time lucky” for him, say persistence had paid off after winning “such a marvellous property.”

He has also been given £250,000 in cash and the villa comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered.

Mark, who bought his £2m winning entry for just £25 - has been working as a legal consultant for more than 25 years - and his wife of 22 years, Deborah, 55, works as a bereavement counsellor and wellness coach.

The couple have lived in their current family home in Devon since 2019 with two rescue dogs and a cat.

Mark is looking forward to visiting the villa with his family and can’t wait to spend time in the pool with his grandson.

When Omaze contacted Mark to tell him he’d scooped the grand prize – he was overseas with work – so they relayed the good news over Zoom.

A stunned Mark said: “I couldn’t believe it when Omaze called me to say I’d won the grand prize. I was out of the country with work so called my wife straight away. She was even more flabbergasted than I was as she had no idea I’d even entered!

“I’d entered nine Omaze draws before this, so my persistence has certainly paid off – it’s 10th time lucky I guess! You never imagine you’ll end up winning, but even if you don’t win anything, you’re still helping a really good cause - such as Teenage Cancer Trust.

“I’d never won so much as a church raffle before, so this is truly mindboggling. This win is lifechanging for the whole family, the £250,000 cash provides peace of mind in these challenging times – I’m still pinching myself.

“I’ve always struggled to get my work-life balance right, but this gives us financial stability - I love my job, but to know I could retire tomorrow is an incredible feeling.

“The villa looks absolutely marvelous, I’m not sure what we’ll do with it yet - we’ll probably keep it for a couple of years so we can enjoy family holidays there.

"I’ll be dusting off my trunks as soon as I’m back! I went to Spain 20 years ago for work, but have never been to Marbella - it looks lovely. I’ll have to brush up on my Spanish, but I do know how to order a cerveza!”

Mark is free either to holiday in the house, rent it out or sell it. If he does decide to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve more than £100,000 a year from rentals.

Located on Marbella’s famous Golden Mile – which is just a short flight away from a host of UK airports - the stylish and contemporary design of this 12,000ft sq villa will provide an idyllic holiday retreat for Mark and his family.

Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the open-plan living space, including a living room and dining area connected by a large built-in fireplace that sits in the centre of the villa.

The state-of-the-art kitchen features a central breakfast bar with granite worktops, stainless steel units and brand-new Siemens equipment throughout to cater for every culinary need. There is also a separate bar area to prepare sundown cocktails.

Glass sliding doors seamlessly connect to the garden, where the winner will find a swimming pool surrounded by terraces and sun lounge areas – as well as a plunge pool to cool down after Mark has topped up his tan. There is also a hammock in the shaded garden, if Mark feels like a snooze after sunbathing.

The holiday home boasts four-bedrooms and bathrooms, with the main bedroom featuring its own balcony, walk-in wardrobe and a luxury en-suite bathroom with bath and rainfall shower. Guest bedrooms also have en-suite bathrooms.

A 1,722ft sq rooftop solarium offers panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea and the Sierra Blanca Mountain Range and is an ideal area for entertaining. There is also ample parking space for when Mark has visitors.

The villa is ideally located to enjoy the eating, drinking and shopping delights of Marbella Old Town Puerto Banus Marina and Capobino Beach - as well as Marbella Golf & Country Clubs, Venus Beach and Alameda Park. It’s just a seven-minute drive from Playa Casablanca and Puente Romano Beach Club.

The Marbella Superdraw also raised £800,000 Teenage Cancer Trust to help it fund specialist nurses, youth support teams and hospital units in the NHS making sure cancer doesn’t stop young people living their lives.

This is the second time Teenage Cancer Trust has partnered with Omaze. It was the fund-raising platform's first charity partner when it launched in the UK in 2020, with that campaign raising £250,000 to help ensure that young people with cancer didn’t face the coronavirus pandemic alone.

The trust’s director of engagement, Paul McKenzie, said: “The £800,000 raised is truly staggering and we can’t thank Omaze and its community enough!

“Everything we provide to get young people with cancer through the toughest times imaginable – our specialist hospital units, nurses and youth teams – are entirely dependent on the money we’re able to fund-raise.

“So, to put it simply, without the support of Omaze and the generosity of the public, nothing we do would be possible.

“In 2020 Teenage Cancer Trust was the first UK charity to partner with Omaze and the money raised by the first draw, at a time when our fund-raised income dropped off a cliff due to the pandemic, was truly lifechanging.

“Since then, Omaze has proved itself to be a fantastic way for many other charities to raise money and given millions of pounds to so many good causes.

“With times now tougher than ever we’re so proud to continue our work together.”

James Oakes, chief international officer at Omaze said: “We’re delighted that Mark has won his dream home - and was able to contribute to this fantastic £800,000 raise for Teenage Cancer Trust in the process.

“Omaze is a win-win for both charities and entrants. By offering incredible prizes, like this stunning villa in Marbella, we give people the chance to win the house of their dreams, while also introducing charities to audiences they wouldn’t usually be able to reach. This method of fund-raising is helping to make a big difference to good causes across the UK.”

It brings the total raised for good causes in the UK by Omaze to £8.3m.

Draw entries for the current Omaze Million-Pound House Draw, a beautiful five-bedroom farmhouse in the Lake District worth £2,500,000, are available now at www.omaze.co.uk. The draw closes on Monday December 26 for online entries and January 3 for postal entries.

For full terms and conditions, see www.omaze.co.uk. No purchase necessary to enter. Over-18s and UK residents only.