£700,000 home can be yours for just £3
COUPLE RAFFLING DREAM HOUSE TO RAISE MONEY FOR ALZHEIMER’S CHARITY
AN incredible £700,000 dream home in the heart of Snowdonia could be yours for just £3. Martin and Sue Stephenson are raffling off their spectacular converted chapel in the village of Abergynolwyn near Tywyn – and are even throwing in the furniture.
And the couple are hoping to raise at least £100,000 for Alzheimer’s Society Cymru in the process.
The couple had planned to remain in Wales until 2022 but have now decided to move to Yorkshire to be close to Martin’s parents, after his dad was diagnosed with dementia.
Former building surveyor Martin, 57, said: “My dad was diagnosed with dementia about two years ago and my mum is his main carer.
“They’re both 88 and while mum is coping well at the moment, she’s not indestructible.
“We can see the writing on the wall and that’s why we need to move closer to Sheffield, where they live, to give them the support they need.”
The couple hit on the idea of giving someone the chance to win the historic property, rather than simply putting it on the market in the usual way, after witnessing other successful prize draws.
Sue, 53, a former marketing consultant, said: “A few of years ago we put together a bucket list that included raising a large amount of money for charity.
“Hopefully, the prize draw will help us tick that box, as well as creating a life-changing opportunity for someone, so it really is a win-win situation.”
The property comprises two homes within the same chapel conversion – Capel Jerusalem and Jerusalem Vestry.
They have a total of seven en-suite rooms and the prize even comes with all furniture and contents, including a sauna, hot tub and grand piano.
They need to sell 330,000 tickets to make the plan viable, which they are confident they can achieve, resulting in a donation of at least £100,000 to Alzheimer’s Society.
Father-of-two Martin added: “We bought the property on a whim 14 years ago with no real plans for it, but it became a labour of love. “We lived in Shrewsbury for four years and rented the entire place out but a couple of years ago we moved into the vestry and just rented out the chapel.
“We want Alzheimer’s Society to benefit from the prize draw as it’s such a worthwhile cause.
“Dementia is a condition that affects so many people but doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
“The worst thing about it is that you end up losing the person little by little before your very eyes – it’s a difficult thing to watch.
“My dad served in the RAF and spent 40 years as a sales rep.
“He had a big personality and, along with mum, was instrumental in founding the Lambretta Club in Sheffield.
“But he’s gone from being someone who never stopped talking to someone who sits in the corner of the room saying very little.
“Raising money for Alzheimer’s Society is a perfect fit for us as I’ve also lost another two members of my family to dementia in the past two years.”
To find out how you can enter the prize draw to win the property go to www.winadreamproperty.co.uk.