A woman who won a £4.5million Omaze mansion has sold it to get all her children on the property ladder. June Smith, who went from “living on a pension to owning a mansion” said the win is “still sinking in” almost three years later.
The 77-year-old spent a ''long, unforgettable'' family summer in the Cornwall waterfront home before selling it to bank millions and secure the financial futures of her children and grandchildren. June Smith, from Essex, scooped the six-bedroom, three-storey home overlooking the Fowey Estuary as part of the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Cornwall, in 2023.
She had lost her husband Ron just a year before her extraordinary win. The couple were married for 43 years and had three children together. June is now the proud grandmother to six grandchildren. And June says winning with Omaze allowed her to get the family onto the property ladder, clear mortgages and support new business ventures, giving her children and grandchildren the best possible start in life
She said: "I went from living on a single pension to owning a mansion. It still sounds mad when I say those words out loud. I honestly thought it was a wind-up. I was just settling down for a quiet Friday night in front of the telly when suddenly Omaze was at the door telling me I’d won a £4.5 million house, I was gobsmacked!
“I always thought people like me don’t win things like that. I remember just standing there thinking, this can’t be real. The first thing I did was call my children to share the good news. The second thing I did was open a nice bottle of red. I’ll never forget that night, it changed our lives forever.
“My husband Ron died the year before I won, and I really do feel like he played a part in the win. He always wanted our family to be safe and secure. Winning with Omaze meant that dream came true, in a way we could never have imagined. I know he’s smiling down on all of us.”
When June first arrived at the Cornwall home and looked out across the estuary, she said it was love at first sight. “I just stood there and thought, wow,” she said. “Ron spent his life working in architecture and he would have absolutely loved this house.”
June said she always knew that selling the house would unlock a life-changing sum for her family, but there was one thing she wanted to do first. She said: “I knew I wanted to release the huge amount of money by selling the house, but I also knew I wanted one big, proper family summer there before we did anything.”
June spent several months in the home with her children and grandchildren, including flying her eldest son and his family over from Australia for an extended stay, business class. She added: “My six grandchildren absolutely made the most of it. They ran wild around the house and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was the ultimate family holiday. The last time we holidayed in Cornwall we were all in a caravan. So to suddenly be together in a £4.5 million house was just mind-boggling. Those months together are memories we’ll cherish forever.”
After that summer, June sold the property for millions of pounds, saying the greatest impact of winning with Omaze has been what it allowed her to do for her family. “Thanks to the money I also got with the house I could’ve easily kept it without a worry in the world.
"But selling the house meant I could help all my children with the next chapter of their lives,” she said. “I’ve been able to help them get on the property ladder, clear mortgages and take away all the everyday money worries. They’re all in such a fantastic position now, especially at their age - it's a world away from where I was at that stage in life!
“I’ve also been able to help start businesses for my children, which are now thriving, and that means they and my grandchildren have previously unimaginable financial security. Seeing the difference it’s made to them has been the best part of winning with Omaze, and I've still got plenty left for a rainy day!”
June has since bought another home in Fowey as she loved Cornwall so much she wanted to stay. She said: “After that summer, I’d fallen in love with Fowey and knew I didn’t want to leave, so I used some of the money from the sale to buy a lovely place down here.
"We all love popping to the local pubs, tea and scones the Cornish way, walking along the harbour with fish and chips. I’ve also grown fond of the odd Cornish pasty, although they just call them pasties here of course! Everyone has been so welcoming, it really does feel like home.”
June said the win has also given her lasting peace of mind. She added: “I still wake up and think it was all a dream some days. It’s taken away all my worries – that’s a priceless gift in itself. Omaze didn’t just change my life, it changed all my family’s lives.
“Winning with Omaze was one of the most special days of our lives, but it’s what it’s allowed me to do for my family that’s made every day since, so special.”
James Oakes, President of Omaze, said: “June’s story shows the true impact of winning with Omaze. Life-changing prizes that can transform an entire family’s future, while raising millions for vital causes.”
