In a prize lottery that earned over three million dollars for charity, a father who grew up in poor housing won a gorgeous property valued at 2.5 million dollars.

Not notifying his wife or children, Chris Milnes entered the most recent Omaze charity drawing and won the stunning 5,000-square-foot property.

The delighted sixty-year-old, who resides in West Yorkshire, England, with his spouse Jules, was also awarded a cash prize of £100,000 that is tax-free.

The father of three added, ‘I thought wow, a couple of grand would go down a treat at the minute when I got the call from Omaze to say I’d won something.’

‘It’s insane—I never thought I could have won a house worth more than a few million dollars!’ ‘I grew up in a council apartment in Leeds for the most of the time.

People like me don’t experience anything like this. Chris now intends to sell the opulent Dorset house in order to provide his kids with ‘the start in life I never had.’

‘My wife was even more surprised than I was because she was unaware that I had even entered.’
It would be an understatement to say she was stunned; she was dumbfounded. (Watch the video below to see Chris’s astonishment.)

Although Chris and his wife had previously discussed downsizing, they had now moved past their financial concerns.

We just talked about having to downsize last week in order to lower our living expenses because we currently rent a home.

‘We’ve put in a lot of effort throughout our lives and faced many difficulties, but just now everything has changed.

The salesperson intends to use the three-tiered home for a ‘big holiday’ with his family before listing it for sale later this year.

The stunning three-story home has a movie room, four bedrooms with en suite spa-like baths, and a kitchen that opens to a wooden terrace.

There’s an outdoor shower and hot tub in the garden designed to resemble a jungle. With tickets starting at just £10,

the drawing was only available to residents of the UK, but despite this restriction, a staggering £3,150,000 was raised for BBC Children in Need.

And since Pudsey Bear is the face of the BBC charity, it was ‘a lovely coincidence’ that Chris and Jules were residents of Pudsey when they won.

Through this and past property raffles held throughout the United Kingdom, Omaze has amassed nearly £43 million for numerous charitable causes.

Omaze has raffled off expensive cars, campers, houses, and even lunch meetings with presidents and celebrities to earn $170 million worldwide.

James Oakes, Chief International Officer of Omaze, said, ‘Omaze gives people the chance to win amazing houses,

like this beautiful house in Dorset, while also introducing charities to vast new audiences that they wouldn’t otherwise reach.’

‘Both participants and charities really benefit from it.’ The property is projected to have a long-term rental value of between £5,000 and £6,000 per month if they choose to rent it out.

However, the couple has decided to buy a new, smaller house together in Yorkshire, understanding that the contest has permanently transformed their family’s life.

Not only will we be able to buy a new home for ourselves, but we will also be able to put all of our kids on the property ladder right away.

Being able to give children the start we never had means so much. ‘My son lives in Australia, and we haven’t seen him in the last six years. It’s crazy that we can now travel in style and see him whenever we want.’