A wealthy businesswoman left penniless and living on pot noodles after a slew of tragic events is raffling off her converted stone chapel home for £6 per ticket.
Cheryl-Anne Jenkinson, 52, splashed out £535,000 on the century-old church and bell tower in 2004, while enjoying a lucrative career as a blue-chip marketing consultant.
But a dramatic reversal in fortune saw her lose a six-figure salary and forced her to sell most of her possessions.
She is now back on her feet and aims to sell 200,000 tickets at £6 each to raise £1.2 million – covering the value of the property, outstanding mortgage payments, legal fees, tax and enough cash to emigrate.
Cheryl-Anne Jenkinson, 52, splashed out £535,000 on the century-old church and bell tower in 2004 while enjoying a lucrative career and is now raffling it off for £6 per ticket
The Stafforshire property’s grand kitchen is surrounded with original features and there are bodies still buried in the crypt below
At one point Miss Jenkinson was reduced to camping in a sleeping bag on the chapel floor and had to empty her savings account to pay for the repairs
Her life took a turn for the worse when a massive water leak flooded the property in 2010.
Miss Jenkinson was reduced to camping in a sleeping bag on the chapel floor and had to empty her savings account to pay for the repairs.
Cheryl-Anne’s fortunes changed after the chapel was restored and she started renting it out as a holiday home for £30,000 a year
With no central heating or running water, she survived on sandwiches and Pot Noodles for a year while also caring for her dying sister.
Unable to work due to crippling arthritis, she had to sell her jewellery, her Audi A5 and antique furniture to make ends meet.
Her fortunes changed after the chapel was restored and she started renting it out as a holiday home for £30,000 a year.
Seeking a new life abroad, she put her house on the market in January but struggled to find a buyer.
Now she is offering people the chance to win her £750,000 Grade II listed home, nestled in the leafy hamlet of Swythamley, Staffs.
Built in 1905, Swythamley Chapel lies in the Peak District National Park, seven miles from the town of Leek.
It was commissioned by Lady Annie Brocklehurst as a tribute to her late husband Sir Philip Lancaster Brocklehurst, commemorating their ‘truly happy married life’.
For several generations the family used the private chapel for weddings, christenings and funerals.
Built in 1905, Swythamley Chapel lies in the Peak District National Park, seven miles from the town of Leek
The building was commissioned by Lady Annie Brocklehurst as a tribute to her late husband Sir Philip Lancaster Brocklehurst, commemorating their ‘truly happy married life’
For several generations the family used the private chapel for weddings, christenings and funerals.
Eerily, the bodies of the first Lord and Lady Brocklehurst are still buried in the crypt beneath the church.
When the Brocklehurst line ended in 1981, ownership passed to the state. It was later sold to a graphic designer who spent £1 million transforming it into a rural retreat.
Eerily, the bodies of the first Lord and Lady Brocklehurst are still buried in the crypt beneath the church
The stunning country home now boasts three double bedrooms, three bathrooms, a split-level kitchen and utility room, expansive lounge and seating areas, five original stained glass windows, two studies and a workshop.
Polished granite pillars and carved sandstone archways ornament the living room and a black steel staircase leads all the way from the ground floor to the belfry.
The bell tower contains a unique eight-bell ringing machine operated by a brass wheel. Lady Brocklehurst paid £443 for it in 1905 – the equivalent of almost £50,000 today.
Outside, sprawling gardens offers picturesque views of the rolling countryside and a winding gravel driveway provides space for up to eight cars.
Miss Jenkinson was taking a drive in the country when she first noticed the for sale sign in 2004 and was ‘hooked’ by the chapel’s quirky design.
After moving in she spent more than £200,000 on renovations but things took a sudden turn for the worse.
Polished granite pillars and carved sandstone archways ornament the living room and a black steel staircase leads all the way from the ground floor to the belfry
Miss Jenkinson was reduced to camping in a sleeping bag on the chapel floor and had to empty her savings account to pay for the repairs – now it is a delightful family home
In 2007 she gave up a million-pound salary as a high-flying marketing guru to become managing director of a bathroom product company in New Zealand.
The owner – a long-time friend and colleague – had promised to leave her a 49 per cent stake of the business in his will, but when he died of a heart attack later that year it turned out he left her nothing.
She lost the job and returned to the UK, landing a new position in Oxford. The chapel sat empty while she stayed at a rented apartment in the city.
Then, in 2010 came the devastating news that her sister Kay had been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour at 46.
She quit her job and moved back to Staffordshire to care for her but returned to find her home completely flooded.
Miss Jenkinson, who has no children and has never married, said: ‘It was like a river cascading down the walls. The first floor ceiling had collapsed and all of the furniture and plaster was ruined.
‘The insurers paid for around three quarters of the damage but because I hadn’t told them the house was empty I had to pay £60,000 towards the repairs. That was everything I had left in the bank.’
It took a year for a construction firm to rebuild the interior and install new central heating and wiring.
The house has five original stained glass windows, two studies and a workshop
During that time Miss Jenkinson lived at the chapel in near squalor while builders grafted around her – now the property is near-perfect
During that time Miss Jenkinson lived at the chapel in near squalor while builders grafted around her.
She staved off eviction by selling her £18,000 Audi, her jewellery collection and a grandfather clock.
She said: ‘Life was upside down for me. I was running an electric blanket and a kettle off a builder’s extension lead. I was living on Pot Noodles and paying to use a shower at the local gym. I would ask myself: ‘How has it come to this?’
‘My sister needed a lot of care. It was heartbreaking to see her go through so many surgeries.
‘When she died the following year I couldn’t even afford to pay for her funeral.’
Despite her hardships, Miss Jenkinson is now back on her feet and enjoying success as a self-published author under the pen name ‘Annie Jai’.
She will then pick a lucky winner at random to inherit the chapel. If she falls short of her target the winner will receive a cash jackpot instead.
Miss Jenkinson added: ‘It’s a perfect place to escape everyday stresses. There is absolute calm and when you live here you feel like you’re part of something special.
‘For families with small children it would be the most incredible place for them to grow up. They can play outside in total safety.’
To enter go to www.yourcountrychurch.com.