Leeds dad who grew up in a council house wins £2.5m house

A father-of-three from Leeds who grew up in a council house has won a £2.5million mansion in a lottery.

Chris Milnes, 60, won a 5,000 sq ft new build in Poole, Dorset, after entering the Omaze Million Pound House Draw without telling his family. Chris and his wife Jules, 56, have lived in Pudsey for seven years and Chris grew up in a council flat here in the town.

Now Chris hopes to sell the luxury home he won to become a multi-millionaire, giving his children “the start in life we ​​never had”. Along with the house, he also won a cash prize of £100,000.

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He said: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever own a multi-million pound home. I spent a lot of my childhood living in a council flat in Leeds – things like that don’t happen to people like me. .

“When I got the call from Omaze to say I’d won something I thought wow, a couple of grand would have been a treat for the moment – I never imagined I’d won a house worth more than a few million. , it’s crazy It was a massive surprise for me, but an even bigger one for my wife as she had no idea I had entered.

“To say she was shocked is an understatement, she was speechless.”

Chris, who works as a salesman, had recently spoken to his wife about downsizing, but now he can put any financial worries behind him. He added: “We’re currently living in a rented house – and only last week we were discussing downsizing to help keep our living costs down – but now that’s all changed.

“We’ve worked hard all our lives – and had to deal with some tough times over the years – but the future has never looked brighter after this win. This house is absolutely gorgeous – it’s like something out of Grand Designs – you just keep waiting for Kevin McCloud to pop his head around the corner and say hi.”

He now plans to spend a “big holiday” in the new home with his family before putting it on the market later in the year. It has an open-plan living room, a fireplace wall, a cinema room, a kitchen with a large central island, banquette seating and a breakfast table facing the garden.

The new master bedroom has a center headboard, a fully fitted walk-in closet, and a spa-like bathroom with a freestanding tub. There are three more bedrooms, each with furniture and its own bathroom. In addition, the garden is inspired by the rainforest and has a hot tub and outdoor shower.

Chris said he had no plans to quit his job immediately after the win and said Jules, to whom he has been married for 23 years, would continue to work. However, Chris said he will work on his tennis skills after he retires.

He said: “I will not retire immediately. When I emailed my boss to tell him the news – he immediately called me to check if I was staying to finish our last project. I think he was as relieved as he was. he was very happy for me.

“As soon as I finish the project I am currently working on, I will finally retire – then I will have enough time to work on the backhand. My wife has worked her way through the same company for the past 25 years. years and he loves his job, so he will continue to work.

“So for now, we’ll still get up and go to work in the morning, we’ll just come home to a much nicer house.”

The raffle also raised £3,150,000 for BBC Children in Need, Omaze’s charity partner. Coincidentally, as Pudsey Bear, the face of the charity, is named after Chris’ town.

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He added: “It’s such a lovely coincidence that we live in Pudsey and the Omaze Draw has raised so much money for BBC Children in Need, with the charity’s face, the Pudsey Bear, being named after the town.”

Chris has two children from a previous marriage, his son Ollie, 29, who lives in Australia, and his daughter Lucy, 26. He also has a daughter, Esmé, whom he shares with Jules. He hopes to help his children onto the property ladder before the couple buy a new home in Yorkshire.

Chris added: “Winning this home has changed our family’s life forever. Not only will we be able to afford to buy ourselves a new dream home – but we can get all our kids on the property ladder now.

“It means so much to be able to give them the start we never had. I’m a proud Yorkshireman and love where we live so we’ll be buying somewhere close by, it’s so exciting.

“I play a lot of tennis, so at the top of my list is my own tennis court in the back garden. My son lives in Australia and I have only seen him once in the last 6 years – now we can go and see him anytime. we want and fly them everywhere in style – it’s just crazy!”

The house comes mortgage free with both stamp duty and legal fees covered. Estate agents estimate that Chris could earn between £5,000 and £6,000 a month if he decided to rent it out. Poole, where the house is located, is also only six miles away and has shops, entertainment and leisure facilities.

James Oakes, International Director at Omaze, said: “Everyone at Omaze is delighted that Chris has won this stunning home in Dorset, while contributing to the £3,150,000 raised for the iconic BBC Children in Need.

“It will make a huge difference to his whole family, which is just wonderful. Omaze is giving people the chance to win amazing homes like this beautiful home in Dorset, while introducing charities to a vast and new audience they wouldn’t otherwise reach – it’s a real win-win for both charities as well as for participants.

“We are incredibly proud that the Omaze Community has now raised over £43 million for good causes across the UK.”