- Lucky dad wins £3 million holiday villa in Mallorca plus 3250,000 in cash.
- His new holiday home is a 4-bedroom Balearic Island retreat offering stunning mountain views and a swimming pool.
- Winner entered the draw after a chance encounter collecting a used armchair
The amount raised will make a huge difference to the charity’s vital work to find a cure for dementia.
Dementia is the UK’s leading cause of death, claiming more than 74,000 lives in 2022. Sadly, if nothing changes, one in two people will be directly affected by the condition - either by caring for someone with it, developing it themselves, or both.
Although the first generation of Alzheimer’s treatments proven to slow the disease are on the horizon, there are none yet available in the UK.
Alzheimer’s Research UK is working to change this, and to develop more and better therapies that will be necessary to really shift the dial against the disease. Compared to other serious conditions, however, relatively few clinical trials are taking place in the UK. This means people with dementia in the UK are at risk of missing out on the chance to take part in life-changing research.
The £3,100,000 raised by the latest partnership with Omaze will support the charity’s Clinical Accelerator Programme, boosting clinical research for dementia across the UK and speeding up progress towards a cure.
Hilary Evans, Chief Executive at Alzheimer’s Research UK said:
“We’re delighted that Omaze, and all those who entered the Omaze Million Pound House Superdraw in Mallorca, have raised a phenomenal £3,100,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
“Nearly a million people in the UK have dementia, and we urgently need to find more and better treatments so that we can take away the fear, harm and heartbreak that this devastating condition causes.
“The vital funds raised will support our Clinical Accelerator Programme, which will boost clinical research taking place in the NHS and ultimately speed up progress towards a cure. This is an exciting step forward in our efforts to transform the lives of people affected by dementia.
“Thank you Omaze, and everyone who entered, for standing with us for a cure.”
This is the second time the charity has teamed up with Omaze. The first partnership, in 2022, raised £1 million that helped Alzheimer’s Research UK to protect and continue progress in dementia research during the pandemic. This latest donation brings the total raised for the charity by Omaze to £4.1 million.
As well as raising funds for the charity, Omaze made one lucky winner a multi-millionaire, all thanks to a second-hand armchair.
Graham Dunlop (52) won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Superdraw – and is now the proud owner of a magnificent four-bedroom villa in Mallorca complete with swimming pool and stunning mountain views.
Graham entered the draw to support Alzheimer’s Research UK, after a chance encounter with a woman he was buying an old armchair from. When Graham arrived to collect the chair, the woman insisted that she wanted to give it to him for free, asking only that Graham make a small donation to Alzheimer’s Research UK in place of payment - as her late husband had dementia.
Graham duly donated directly to the charity, but he decided to enter the Omaze prize draw as well after spotting it was supporting Alzheimer’s Research UK.
The property comes mortgage-free and with all legal fees covered. Graham has also been given a whopping £250,000 in cash - and can decide to either enjoy the holiday home with his family or sell it to become a cash multi-millionaire.
Graham, who bought his £3,000,000-winning entry for £75, has been married to his wife Amanda for 15 years and they have two children, an 18-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son.
Graham, originally from Edinburgh having moved to England 30 years ago, has been working in IT for the past 25 years and Amanda is a part-time primary school teacher. The couple have lived in their current 4-bedroom house near Southampton since 2014.
When Omaze first contacted Graham to tell him he’d won a prize, he had forgotten he’d entered and revealed he didn’t expect to win such a big prize as he “never wins anything”. He celebrated his huge win “the best way a British man can” by “popping the kettle on having a cup of tea”.
A spellbound Graham said:
“The reason I entered the draw is quite random really, I’d been after an armchair for my home office for a while and one popped up on Gumtree. I went to pick it up but when we arrived the woman refused to take any money for it. Instead she asked that we put something towards an Alzheimer’s charity, as her late husband had dementia. So I made a donation to Alzheimer’s Research UK, then saw that they’d also partnered with Omaze, so I bought an entry to the Superdraw on top - I didn't give it a second thought and had totally forgotten I’d even entered.
“My wife didn’t like the look of my lucky chair at first, but of course she absolutely loves it now! You could say my £3 million prize cost me an armchair and a leg! I’ll bring the chair out here for sure, although it might look a bit odd next to the pool.”
He continued: “This villa is simply stunning, I love the design of the place and the views are spectacular, I just can’t believe it's all ours - even if I jumped in the pool I don’t think it would sink in!
“We love Spain but never dreamed we’d ever own a place here - especially one like this! I might have to work on my Spanish a bit - although I can order a cerveza with no problems!
“I’ve got a large extended family that we’ve not seen for a while - I’m really looking forward to getting us all together out here.”
He added: “I’ve never won anything before - but this is worth waiting 52 years for! I’m not sure what we’re going to do long term yet - we’ll definitely be enjoying a few family holidays here - whatever we decide, this win is fantastic for our family’s future.”
Graham’s new home is a tranquil oasis located within walking distance from the town Selva and village Caimari in the popular travel destination of Mallorca and is just a short flight away from a host of UK airports.
The bespoke design of the beautiful holiday retreat celebrates traditional Spanish features such as stone walls and terracotta rooftops - whilst also encompassing a contemporary feel indoors - with bright and spacious open plan living areas.
There is a large swimming pool with chill-out areas and loungers for when Graham feels like taking a siesta or sunbathing after a swim. The entire property offers wonderful spectacular views of the Spanish countryside and Serra de Tramuntana mountains.
James Oakes, Chief International Officer at Omaze, said:
“Everyone at Omaze is delighted that Graham and his family have won this magical villa in Mallorca, whilst also contributing to the incredible £3,100,000 raised for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
“Omaze gives people the chance to win amazing houses, like this spectacular property in Spain, whilst also introducing charities to vast new audiences that would otherwise be out of reach – it’s a real win-win for both charities and entrants. We’re incredibly proud that the Omaze community has raised more than £31 million for good causes across the UK.”
Draw entries for the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Cotswolds are available now at omaze.co.uk. The draw closes on Sunday 25th February for online entries and Tuesday 27th February 2024 for postal entries.
Entrants can also choose to subscribe to Omaze to be automatically entered into every Grand Prize and Early Bird Prize, each month. Omaze subscribers receive double the amount of entries compared to non-subscribers and can cancel their subscription at any time. When Omaze has two draws running simultaneously, subscribers are entered into both, with a £10 subscription providing 30 entries into both house draws - meaning 60 entries in total for just £10.
For full terms and conditions, see www.omaze.co.uk. No purchase necessary to enter. Over 18s and UK residents only.
Image: Omaze Million Pound House Superdraw winner Graham Dunlop. Image courtesy of Omaze
