MY DES RESULT
Jemma, 23, wins £500k dream home with £2 raffle ticket
Exposed beams add to the centuries-old charm of the property
One of the farmhouse’s four bedrooms, plus en suite
A YOUNG woman struggling to save for a mortgage has won a £500,000 home with a £2 raffle ticket.
Shocked Jemma Nicklin, 23, is the new owner of Shrubbery Farmhouse, a 17th century fourbedroom country property with an annexe.
Jemma, an admin assistant who lives with her mum and dad, had just started saving for a deposit for a house.
She said: “I am over the moon. I didn’t think people actually won things like this.
“I bought two tickets but I never expected to win. It’s incredible.”
The luxury house in Longnor near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, was raffled by owners Michael and Linda Chatha who had separated and were struggling to find a buyer at the asking price of £545,000.
Jemma, of Bilston, West Mids, said: “I thought it looked beautiful, so I thought I might as well enter as my mum and dad and my boyfriend already had.”
The property has exposed beams in every room and a farmhouse-style kitchen with an oil-fired AGA cooker and walk-in pantry. It has a large living room with built-in library and multi-stove burner and French doors, leading to gardens plus a dining room with courtyard views. Owner Michael, who works in marketing, phoned Jemma at work on Valentine’s Day after her number was picked by a random number generator in front of local media.
The dad of two said: “When I told her she had won, she was gobsmacked.
“It’s fantastic for Jemma. This is going to change her life. It’s not gone to a London property developer who is going to make money out of it.”
Michael and Linda, who are also paying Jemma’s stamp duty and legal fees, sold all 340,000 tickets and they made £540,000 in the first seven days alone, which they believe is a new record for UK property raffles.
The final £680,000 figure easily beat their £600,000 break-even figure and the couple have vowed to make donations to two local charities. zoe.chamberlain @reach plc.com
Farmhouse raffle winner Jemma Nicklin, 23