A woman says she is ‘gobsmacked’ after winning a £500,000 dream home – on just a £2 raffle ticket.
Admin assistant Jemma Nicklin, 23, is the new owner of Shrubbery Farmhouse, a four-bedroom home with a separate annex, in Longnor, Shropshire.
Owners Michael and Linda Chatha launched a competition for their family home after separating and then struggling to find a buyer.
A woman says she is ‘gobsmacked’ after winning a £500,000 dream home – on just a £2 raffle ticket. Pictured: Shrubbery Farmhouse, a four-bedroom home with a separate annex, in Longnor, Shropshire
Admin assistant Jemma Nicklin, 23, won the home through a competition launched by owners Michael and Linda Chatha, who separated
The home boasts plush furnishings and is the dream setting for Ms Nicklin to start a new life mortgage-free
They were inundated with entries and have pledged to give the additional money made on the property raffle to charity.
Ms Nicklin, who currently lives with her mother and father in Bilston, West Midlands, said: ‘I am over the moon. I couldn’t believe it was real when I got the call.
‘I didn’t think people actually won things like this.
‘I’d seen a post about it on BirminghamLive and thought it looked beautiful so I thought I might as well enter as my mum and dad and my boyfriend had too.
‘I bought two tickets but I never expected to win. It’s incredible.’
The property has exposed beams in every room and a farmhouse style kitchen with an oil-fired AGA cooker and walk-in pantry.
Ms Nicklin, who currently lives with her mum and dad in Bilston, West Midlands, said: ‘I am over the moon. I couldn’t believe it was real when I got the call
The property has exposed beams in every room and a farmhouse style kitchen with an oil-fired AGA cooker and walk-in pantry
Ms Nicklin had just started saving for a deposit for a house but never imagined her first home would be something like this – and mortgage-free too
The Chathas are even paying for her stamp duty and legal fees with the money raised from the raffle
It has a large living room with built-in library and multi-stove burner and French doors leading to gardens plus a dining room with courtyard views.
Ms Nicklin had just started saving for a deposit for a house but never imagined her first home would be something like this – and mortgage-free too.
The Chathas are even paying for her stamp duty and legal fees with the money raised from the raffle.
Ms Nicklin said: ‘It’s so difficult to get a house these days, I’d just started saving for a mortgage, I guess that’s one thing I don’t have to worry about anymore.
The next step for Ms Nicklin is to go and view her new country pad as she hasn’t even seen it yet. Pictured: Mr and Mrs Chatha, who struggled to find a buyer for their home after separating
Owner Mr Chatha, who is originally from Sutton Coldfield and is father to Charlie, 18, and Jack, 16, was the one to call Ms Nicklin with the exciting news
The next step for Ms Nicklin is to go and view her new country pad as she hasn’t even seen it yet
Then she’ll have to figure out how to move there and plan her daily commute to and from work in Wednesbury, 45 miles away
‘The rate I was saving I don’t think I’d have got a deposit until I was about 26 or 27 and the I would definitely have ended up buying something much smaller.’
The next step for Ms Nicklin is to go and view her new country pad as she hasn’t even seen it yet.
Then she’ll have to figure out how to move there and plan her daily commute to and from work in Wednesbury, 45 miles away.
Ms Nicklin said: ‘My boyfriend Kieran works as a roofer for his dad’s company and we were thinking of moving in together so this is nice for him too.
‘He kept going on about how he wanted to win it. So when I called him to tell him the news, he screamed down the phone.’
Shrubbery Farmhouse backs onto a 13th century church and Longnor Hall, with its medieval deer park, which means it has virtually no neighbours.
Ms Micklin was one of thousands of people who bought a raffle ticket in the hope that they might end up with the plush home
Old and new: The farmhouse boasts colourful walls alongside it’s exposed beams and wooden floors
An Oftsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ primary school is a short walk away.
Owner Mr Chatha, who is originally from Sutton Coldfield and is father to Charlie, 18, and Jack, 16, was the one to call Ms Nicklin with the exciting news.
He said: ‘When I told her she had won, she was gobsmacked, she kept saying, “I can’t believe it”.
‘She was virtually crying with joy. She said she’d never won anything before and that it was the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to her.
‘For us, it’s a lovely end to the story. It’s been a wonderful experience, everyone in the community has been so supportive.
‘To give a young person a whole house worth £500,000, mortgage-free in the countryside is such a huge start for her in life, I’m thrilled by that. It feels fantastic,’ Mr Chatha said
Shrubbery Farmhouse backs onto a 13th century church, pictured, and Longnor Hall, with its medieval deer park, which means it has virtually no neighbours
The Chathas said they needed to sell 300,000 tickets to make £600,000 to cover the cost of the property, stamp duty and legal fees
As they have sold more, there are making a donation to local charity Hope House which supports children with life-limiting illnesses, and Addiction Recovery Services, a charity which Mr Chatha runs
We’ve been here for 17 years and it’s been a privilege to live in our dream country cottage,’ the former couple added
‘We’ve been here for 17 years and it’s been a privilege to live in our dream country cottage.
‘To give a young person a whole house worth £500,000, mortgage-free in the countryside is such a huge start for her in life, I’m thrilled by that. It feels fantastic.’
The Chathas said they needed to sell 300,000 tickets to make £600,000 to cover the cost of the property, stamp duty and legal fees.
As they have sold more, there are making a donation to local charity Hope House which supports children with life-limiting illnesses, and Addiction Recovery Services, a charity which Mr Chatha runs.