A pensioner who won a £3million luxury house in a raffle has vowed she will never spend a night under the roof – because she wants to sell it to help her children.
Marilyn Pratt, 68, said she is happy living in the modest two-bedroom semi-detached house where she has been for 40 years.
She hopes the proceeds from the sale of the home she won in posh Fulham, west London, will instead be able to help her two grown-up daughters.
The four-storey property is located in the pricy neighbourhood that is just walking distance from the picturesque River Thames.
The home was first prize in the draw, and boasts three bedrooms and a walled garden.
Marilyn and husband David have been living in the same two-bedroom semi-detached house for four decades and have no intention of upgrading, despite their surprise win.
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(Image: PA)
Now she intends to put the prize home on the market.
The main beneficiaries will be the British Heart Foundation (BHF) who will collect a million pounds from the ticket sales.
Marilyn said: “It feels very strange to think that I’m an instant multi-millionaire. We’ve lived in our house for more than 40 years and so we will find somewhere more modern in the same area.”
(Image: PA)
(Image: PA)
The Omaze Million Pound House Draw raised a million pounds to help the BHF’s research and its work supporting families affected by heart and circulatory diseases.
It also comes at a time the charity is being forced to cut its research programme by 50% because of the devastating impact of coronavirus pandemic on fundraising.
Many British charities have told of counting the cost of the pandemic, as generous donors found their own livelihoods during the period of job cuts.
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Charities also told of funding drying up for everyday projects as donations were channeled toward tackling pandemic issues.
However the pandemic did inspire many people to volunteer their time and money.
According to the Charities Aid Foundation, donations in the first six months of 2020 were up on the same period the previous year as Britain reacted to the devastating crisis.
