A mum who won a £4m Lake District mansion says she thought it was ‘a mate winding her up’ when she found out. Hannah Drury, 42, scooped the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw – a secluded mansion at Coniston Water.
The primary school teacher and opera singer won the keys to the waterside home worth £4 million. She then immediately broke her ‘Dry Jan’ promise to celebrate – with a bottle of champagne.
The stunning property was redeveloped and redesigned by Omaze and comes mortgage-free with all legal fees covered. Hannah also received £250,000 in cash and can either live in the house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it.
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Local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of £4,000 per month. Hannah bought her £4m winning entry for £25 in her first entry as part of her Omaze subscription after she’d only just signed up to the competition in late December.
She has been working as a music teacher for 20 years, and currently teaches at a local primary school. The music-loving mum is also a trained operatic soprano, who has sung lead roles in over 25 operas nationwide.
Her husband Rupert, 49, is also a music teacher at a local secondary school and an operatic tenor. It is how the lucky couple met, singing opposite each other in a production of Donizetti’s Elixir of Love 18-years ago.
The couple, who recently celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary, said winning the house “is obviously the best present we’ll ever give to each other”.
The £4 million property in the Lake District at Coniston Water.
Hannah, a mum of three children aged between two and eight, has been living in a three-bedroom house in Frome, Somerset for nine years. When Omaze first contacted her to inform her that she had won a prize, she initially thought it was a friend playing a prank on her.
An elated Hannah said: “I got a random call on Friday night saying I’d won something from Omaze, at first I just assumed it was a friend winding us up, then when I didn’t recognise the voice I thought that maybe we’d scoop a little bit of cash or something. But all of a sudden, Omaze turned up to reveal I’d won a £4m mansion!
Hannah said she thought her friend was playing a prank
”I was speechless, and that never happens! My husband was flabbergasted as he didn’t even know I’d entered!”
Hannah said they had barely slept all weekend, and keeping the news from their friends had proved tricky. She also revealed her children’s excitement at using her new home’s hot tub overlooking the spectacular views of the lake.
She said: “I’m a trained opera singer—being a soprano might raise some eyebrows with the locals, but they can rest assured I’m a singer, not a gangster! We’re both teachers so have technically skived off school to come and see the house today—we’ll go straight to the head mistress’s office tomorrow!”
View from Hannah’s new £4m waterside home
Adding: “My parents currently live with us at the end of the garden, they’re ecstatic as they’ve now got their eyes on an upgrade!”
The operatic mum said the £250k cash would also enable them to live at the property for 10 years if they decided to. The win, she says, has secured her children’s future and “changed our lives forever”.
Hannah’s spectacular house offers reverse-level living, with bedrooms and bathrooms on the ground floor and the first floor featuring the spacious open-plan living spaces, with bespoke kitchen, dining room and spacious lounge area.
The spectacular house offers reverse-level living
Plentiful windows offer breathtaking views of the lake and the surrounding mountains and Grizedale Forest from almost every room, whilst also allowing natural light to fill the entire home.
The plot provides 200 metres of lake frontage, a private wood-panelled jetty and six acres of natural woodland interspersed with free-flowing streams. The elevated property also has a spa house featuring a rainfall shower, Himalayan salt wall, therapy table, gym and wooden in-ground hot tub on the terrace.
There is also a standalone summerhouse for Hannah to enjoy with friends and family.
The hot tub with incredible views
The house is just a short drive from the charming village of Coniston, nestled between Coniston Water and popular mountain, the Old Man of Coniston.
Omaze said as well as making Hannah a multimillionaire, the Million Pound House Draw, the Lake District, raised £5,250,000 for Age UK—their biggest ever raise for a charity partner.
James Oakes, Chief International Officer at Omaze, said: “Everyone at Omaze is delighted that Hannah has won this very special house in the Lake District, whilst also contributing to our biggest ever raise for a charity partner!
One of the home’s spectacular bedrooms
“Omaze offers people the chance to win amazing houses, whilst also introducing charities to new audiences that they wouldn’t normally reach – it’s a real win-win for entrants and our charity partners.
”We’re immensely proud that the Omaze community has now raised over £72 million for good causes across the UK.”