A lucky father of two from Cardiff has won the keys to his £3,500,000 dream home in the Cotswolds from a £35 entry – as part of a charity prize draw that raised £2,150,000 for the NSPCC.
Will Satherley (40) has won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw – a four-bedroom, countryside retreat complete with 10m heated swimming pool, located just outside the idyllic village of Chipping Campden.
He has also been given £100,000 in cash – plus the house comes mortgage free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered.
Will is free to either live in the house, rent it out or sell it. If he decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve up to £10,000 a month from rentals.
Will – who is also an Omaze subscriber – has been working as a financial risk analyst in Cardiff for 13 years. His wife Carrie (40) also works in finance for the Welsh Government.
Despite growing up just a few streets apart, the couple first met when they both worked at an insurance company based in Cardiff. The elated couple have been together for 13 years and married nine years ago. They have two sons aged four and seven – as well as a golden cocker spaniel called Megan.
The couple are originally from Pontypridd but have lived in their current four-bedroom house in Cardiff since 2017.
When Omaze first contacted Will to tell him he’d scooped a prize he was up to his elbows in wood chippings creating a new play area for his two boys. Will admitted that as he and his wife both work in finance, they were “not used to this level of excitement” and are still processing their huge win.
A flabbergasted Will said: “I’d been working in the garden and was covered in wood chippings when I saw a couple of missed calls – I almost ignored them, I’m glad I didn’t as it was Omaze calling to let me know I’d won a prize. When the team arrived I couldn’t comprehend that I’d actually won the Grand Prize, it was so surreal, my wife and I work in finance so it’s fair to say we’re not used to this level of excitement!
“We didn’t know how best to celebrate as we were still in shock, so we just had a few friends over and shared takeaway pizza and a bottle or two of fizz.
“That night I kept checking my emails to make sure I hadn’t imagined the whole thing, in the end I couldn’t really sleep so I went back out to finish the gardening at 4am! The neighbours must’ve wondered what I was up to!
“Unbelievably, the very next day I got another email telling me I’d won a £10 gift voucher from Omaze too, I thought I must be the luckiest man in Wales.
“We love the Cotswolds and have holidayed here before, it was always a bit of a nightmare trying to find a place to stay during the summer but looks like we won’t have that problem this year.
On his remarkable win Will said “Winning this house is a dream come true, we both work in finance, but you don’t have to be good with numbers to know that £35 to £3,500,000 is a pretty good return! The best thing we’d ever won as a family before this was six fairy cakes in a pub quiz in Machynlleth North Wales, this definitely tops that – it’s a life changing win for all our family.”
He added: “I’m running the Cardiff half marathon for the NSPCC in October – as a parent it is a charity that is very close to my heart, so we’re really pleased that the draw raised so much money for the NSPCC – my run might not match the £2,150,000 Omaze raised but every little helps – I can start training in my new home gym now!”
Will’s beautiful 4,250 sq ft property has been contextually designed to sit comfortably in the surrounding landscape and built using local Cotswolds stone.
A combination of traditional Cotswold architecture has been blended with striking contemporary elements that successfully links to the past and the present.
Floor-to-ceiling windows provide the property with a feeling of openness, with glass doors framing views over the gardens.
The heart of the house is an open plan kitchen and dining room that provides a welcoming sociable hub for modern family life. The kitchen area has been designed ergonomically and integrates the clean lines of the Siematic units with Silestone worktops.
The layout incorporates a comprehensive range of Siemens appliances including two ovens, a microwave, coffee machine, two plate warmers, dishwasher, integrated fridge and freezer. There is a Quooker hot tap and Bora induction hob with integrated extractor fan. Adjoining the kitchen is a well-appointed utility room with a pantry and access to the garden.
A breakfast bar with Corian worktop separates the kitchen area from the dining and sitting areas. The large dining area leads to Crittall doors that open to a sitting room with floor-to-ceiling doors that slide open to connect the sitting room to the terrace and garden.
Together the sitting room, kitchen and dining room provide the perfect space for the winner to relax with family and entertain friends. The large entrance hall has Ted Todd feature walls and leads to an office, gym and snug. There is a well-equipped boot room which is a must for rural life.
A striking staircase leads from the hall to the bedrooms. Upstairs a superb principal suite with a well-appointed dressing room and luxurious en suite bathroom with a double ended bath and walk in shower.
There are three further double bedrooms, all with en suite shower rooms. The house also comes with state-of-the-art intelligent and efficient heating and lighting systems.
The house comes with a 10m x 5m heated outdoor swimming pool that has a sun lounge and patio area to relax in. Paved terracing runs along the rear elevation with steps up to the well-maintained, level lawns interspersed with specimen trees and mature planting to the boundaries.
A gravel drive leads through the front garden and the double garage – with an adjoining workshop or garden store and a plant room.
The house is situated amidst rolling Cotswolds countryside within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty offering many beautiful walking and cycling routes.
The historic town of Chipping Campden is about a mile away and offers a good range of everyday shops and services, as well as several more specialist suppliers and a doctor’s surgery.
As well as making Will a multi-millionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Cotswolds, also raised a staggering £2,150,000 – in just ten weeks – to support the NSPCC. This is the second time the charity has teamed up with the fundraising platform. The first partnership, in 2021, raised £1,000,000, bringing the total raised by Omaze for the NSPCC to £3,150,000.
The money raised from this latest partnership will support the NSPCC’s Speak out Stay safe programme, which educates school children about abuse and empowers them to speak out if they feel anything is wrong. Omaze’s raise will enable the charity to reach over 700,000 primary school children.
Sir Peter Wanless, Chief Executive, NSPCC said, “Working at the NSPCC, every day is different, but it’s not often I get to stand in a stunning house to be told that we have raised £2,150,000!
“The funding from this partnership will go towards our Speak out Stay safe programme, which teaches children that they have the right to be safe and empower them to recognise the signs of abuse and bullying.
The amount raised through this draw will enable us to reach over 700,000 children to educate them about how abuse is never a child’s fault. Being able to work with even more schools and get this message across at a young age can enable children to feel confident in coming forward with concerns and even prevent abuse from happening.
“This is the second time we have partnered with Omaze, bringing the total raised by the partnership to £3,150,000. Every single ticket purchased went towards this fantastic amount raised and, on behalf of us all at the NSPCC, I’d like to thank those who took part in this draw and everyone at Omaze.”
James Oakes from Omaze, said: “We’re delighted that Will and his lovely family have won their dream home in the Cotswolds – whilst contributing towards our biggest ever raise of £2,150,000 for NSPCC in the process – a charity that is close to his heart.
“Omaze is a win-win for both charities and entrants. By offering incredible prizes, like this stunning house in the Cotswolds, we give people the chance to win the amazing houses, while also introducing charities to audiences they wouldn’t usually be able to reach. We’re incredibly proud that the Omaze community has already raised over £15 million for good causes across the UK.”
Will is Omaze’s first Welsh Grand Prize winner, and the sixth Welsh winner in total, including Early Bird prize wins such as luxury cars and cash.
