A retired physics teacher has won a £3 million coastal mansion in Cornwall and a further £250,000 in the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, the fundraiser’s organisers said.
Jon Dexter, 66, who has lived alone in a three-bedroom bungalow in Doncaster for the past 15 years, was notified by Omaze that he had won the four-bedroom home overlooking Porthcothan Bay. The house sits in a quiet cove between Padstow and Newquay and forms part of the area promoted as the "Seven Bays for Seven Days." Omaze said all stamp duty and legal fees were covered and the property is prize-free of any mortgage.
The reverse-living house, set in what is now the Cornwall National Landscape, features floor-to-ceiling windows framing sea views across Will's Rock and the Atlantic Ocean, a lounge and main bedroom on the upper floor, and a built-in fireplace with bi-fold doors leading to a terrace. The lower ground floor has an open-plan bespoke kitchen and dining area fitted with walnut Roundhouse cabinetry, Corian worktops and integrated Miele appliances, plus a pantry with a walk-in fridge and a utility room. The property includes four bedrooms—two en suite—a fifth room configured as a home office, oak flooring, underfloor heating, smart technology, a garage and a driveway with space for two to three cars. Outdoor features include a lawned garden with a sunken firepit.
Dexter, a father of three whose daughters are aged between 29 and 33, told organisers he had lived in Cornwall 40 years ago and had longed to return. He said he was at home expecting a wine delivery when Omaze representatives arrived to tell him he had won, adding that the prize was "a quantum leap in good fortune." He said the win ensured financial security for him and his daughters and that he had not yet decided whether to move in, rent the house out, or sell it while keeping the cash.
Omaze said the Million Pound House Draw, Cornwall, raised £5.2 million for FareShare, the UK’s largest food redistribution charity. FareShare rescues surplus food and supplies it to more than 8,000 charities and community groups across the country to help tackle hunger and reduce food waste.
Broadcaster James May, who has volunteered as a driver for FareShare’s network partner The Felix Project since the pandemic, praised the fundraising total, saying the money would help ensure "millions of meals will now end up on the tables of people who really need them." James Oakes, president of Omaze, said the company was "thrilled" that Dexter had won the home and highlighted that the Omaze Community had raised more than £106 million for good causes across the UK.
Omaze said entries for its next grand prize draw, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, New Forest, were available at omaze.co.uk and that the online entry window closed Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, with postal entries accepted until Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. Organisers did not disclose how many entrants participated in the Cornwall draw.
Dexter, who taught physics for more than three decades, recalled a childhood win of a book prize as his previous biggest prize, and said winning the house was "out of this world." He said his daughters were already planning trips to the property and that he looked forward to making new family memories in Cornwall.
The draw is part of a growing charity-linked prize market that offers high-value property prizes in return for donations and ticket purchases, a model that organisers say helps raise substantial funds for partnered charities while offering entrants the chance to win significant prizes.