{"id":995964,"date":"2023-10-21T14:44:44","date_gmt":"2023-10-21T21:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theaegisalliance.com\/?p=995964"},"modified":"2026-10-06T02:41:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T09:41:17","slug":"dad-almost-missed-out-on-winning-a-2-5m-home-because-he-was-trying-to-avoid-spam-calls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaegisalliance.com\/fr\/2023\/10\/21\/dad-almost-missed-out-on-winning-a-2-5m-home-because-he-was-trying-to-avoid-spam-calls\/","title":{"rendered":"Simon Williams Almost Ignored an Omaze Call as Spam, Won a \u00a32 Million Devon Cottage, and Sold It Six Months Later"},"content":{"rendered":"

Simon Williams almost did not pick up. The aircraft engineer from Kent, then 41 and living in a three-bedroom house in West Sussex, had spent the day batting away sales calls. When his work phone rang from a number he did not know, he was, in his own words, \u00ab\u00a0at my wits’ end.\u00a0\u00bb He answered anyway. The voice on the line was not selling a warranty. It was Omaze, telling him he had won the Million Pound House Draw in Devon: a renovated five-bedroom cottage worth more than \u00a32 million, plus \u00a3100,000 in cash, stamp duty and legal fees already handled, no mortgage attached.<\/p>\n

The entry that did it cost about \u00a325. He had been paying that as a monthly subscription, the same habit his sister shared. After earlier houses went to other people, the two of them would ring each other, jealous, and say they wished it had been one of them. On a Friday in October 2023, it was him. He cancelled dinner. \u00ab\u00a0I was actually meant to go out to dinner with my friends that evening, but I had to cancel so I could meet the Omaze team and find out exactly what I’d won,\u00a0\u00bb he said on the company’s winner page. \u00ab\u00a0It was well worth cancelling a Wagamamas to win a \u00a32,000,000 house.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n

\"The
The five-bedroom Devon cottage Williams won, set in woodland near Dartmoor National Park. (Omaze\/SWNS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A cottage built for a life he did not live in Devon<\/h2>\n

Standing in the house, he told Omaze he had \u00ab\u00a0a very big grin\u00a0\u00bb on his face. \u00ab\u00a0It’s one thing seeing it in the films, but being here in person is something else.\u00a0\u00bb The prize was a remodelled cottage in woodland on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, with a landscaped garden, a modern kitchen, and a separate two-bedroom guest house with its own living space and shower room. Omaze estimated a long-term let could bring in roughly \u00a33,000 a month. As with every house the company gives away, the winner could move in, rent it, or sell it. Williams had a reason to want the first option. His late father used to take him to Devon on family holidays. \u00ab\u00a0Having my own place in Devon and being able to bring my family here, like my father did with me, is incredibly special \u2014 he’d have loved his place,\u00a0\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n

\"Outdoor
The cottage garden was set up for the kind of family meals the old Sussex house could not hold. (Omaze\/SWNS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The charity attached to that particular draw was not an accident of branding. Williams entered because of Macmillan Cancer Support<\/a>. His father died of cancer when Simon was in his early twenties, and the charity had supported the family then. \u00ab\u00a0I know firsthand just how amazing the work they do is,\u00a0\u00bb he said. The Devon draw raised \u00a31,700,000, which Macmillan’s chief executive, Gemma Peters, said was enough to fund 27 cancer support nurses for a year. \u00ab\u00a0We are beyond thrilled,\u00a0\u00bb Peters said, noting that the charity depends almost entirely on public donations. James Oakes of Omaze called the model \u00ab\u00a0a win-win for both charities and entrants\u00a0\u00bb and said the UK community had by then raised more than \u00a320 million. The company’s own figure has kept climbing since. Its public bio now talks about more than \u00a3100 million and dozens of grand-prize winners. Simon’s house was an early chapter of that machine, not the last.<\/p>\n

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Don\u2019t forget that the winner will also receive a cash prize and be completely rent\/mortgage free! \ud83c\udfe1\ud83d\udcb0<\/p>\n

— Omaze UK (@OmazeUK) September 27, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n