Mary Dickson, a 72-year-old grandmother from Castle Douglas, has won a £4 million mansion in coastal Cornwall through Omaze, paying just £15 for her winning ticket. The four-bedroom beach-style property is located in Coverack, 514 miles from her home in south-west Scotland.
Mary, a fan of Scottish duo The Proclaimers—best known for their hit "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"—noted the coincidence: "Funnily enough, The Proclaimers popped up on the telly promoting their new album the morning we went to see the house for the first time - fitting really, as we gladly went 500 miles to arrive at this door!"
How she found out
Mary's husband John, 76, was driving her home from work when the Omaze team first reached out. However, Mary nearly missed the call due to a lack of signal and her habit of ignoring unknown numbers. She said: "I ignored Omaze's calls at first. But they texted me, so I checked them out online, they looked like the real deal, so I thought I'd better call back. Thank goodness I did!"
She added: "All the family came to see the reveal, I was gobsmacked when they told me it was the house. We headed to the pub to celebrate, but I didn't have anything stronger than a coffee. Although I'm looking forward to a glass of wine by my new pool."
The prize package
The new home comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered, plus £250,000 in cash and £200,000 of furnishings. Mary said they are in no rush to decide on its future: "We're going to keep it for a while and just enjoy it and we can't wait to host Christmas here with all the family."
Mary, who has worked in the public sector for 34 years, started entering Omaze draws after a colleague won a house in the Lake District in 2023. She said: "When I saw that he'd won, it made me realise real people really do win these houses - I did wonder if he'd used up all the luck around here, but it must've rubbed off on me."
A life-changing win
The couple, who have been together since 1996 and married in 2017, have called their terrace house in Castle Douglas home since 2000. Their last visit to Cornwall was 20 years ago. Mary said: "We never imagined that when we next came back to Cornwall, it would be to see our very own £4million mansion. It's absolutely stunning, we just can't believe it's all ours."
John spent 27 years as a draughtsman at a Motherwell steelworks before an IT role with the fire and rescue service, retiring in 2011. Mary has two daughters, one of whom sadly passed away. They are close to her late daughter's two grandsons, aged 17 and 22, and say the win is "something that has changed our family's future".
The property
The home features floor-to-ceiling windows, four double bedrooms (three with dressing rooms and en suite bathrooms), an open-plan kitchen, dining room and living room on the first floor, plus a study, conservatory, boot room and utility room. Outside, there is a heated outdoor swimming pool with a swim-up bar, sunken banquette seating and fire pit, an outdoor kitchen with BBQ and pizza oven, and a three-car garage.
The property sits on the Lizard Peninsula, on the eastern side of the Cornwall National Landscape, with Porthbeer Cove a short stroll away along the South West Coast Path. Falmouth is around 30 minutes away, and Redruth offers the nearest mainline station with direct services to London Paddington.
Omaze partnered with Wellbeing of Women in the draw, guaranteeing £1,000,000 raised for the charity, with a further £3,500,000 committed through a separate multi-year grant. Matt Pohlson, Founder and CEO of Omaze, said: "Everyone at Omaze is over the moon that Mary and John have won this spectacular home in Cornwall, whilst also supporting Wellbeing of Women." He added that the Omaze Community has now raised over £150 million for good causes across the UK.
