Grandmother wins £4m mansion with panoramic sea views – after mistakenly thinking she’d won a HORSE

A GRANDMA won a £4million mansion but initially turned it down after mistakenly thinking she’d won a horse. Mary Dickson’s new home in the fishing village of Coverack, Cornwall, boasts panoramic sea views, a swimming pool and direct access to Porthbeer Cove. Mary and John Dickson at their new Cornwall home Credit: Omaze The property includes a stables – and Mary initially thought she’d won a horse Credit: Omaze The lucky winner, from Castle Douglas, Scotland, is the latest person to scoop the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, pocketing the enviable four-bedroom pile plus £250,000 in cash – all for just £15. But Mary, 72, nearly scuppered things when she ignored calls – and then on learning she’d won thought the prize was a horse, after spotting the property’s stables, and replied “no thanks”. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! She said: “The first thing I saw when I turned the corner to find out what I’d won was a horse – I said thanks but no thanks. “Then I realised I’d actually won a house, not a horse, so I quickly said thank you very much.” Husband John, 76, was driving Mary home from work when the Omaze team first reached out to share the news. But Mary nearly missed it, as she didn’t have any signal and never answers calls from unknown numbers. “I ignored Omaze’s calls at first,” she said. “But they texted me, so I checked them out online, they looked like the real deal, so I thought I’d better call back. Thank goodness I did. Most read in Money The four-bed mansion is worth £4million Credit: Omaze It has panoramic views and sits in the coastal village of Coverack Credit: Omaze “All the family came to see the reveal, I was gobsmacked when they told me it was the house. “We headed to the pub to celebrate, but I didn’t have anything stronger than a coffee. “Although I’m looking forward to a glass of wine by my new pool.” Mary and John are huge fans of The Proclaimers, whose biggest hit was I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), with the band appearing on TV the morning the couple were travelling to see their new home. She said: “Fitting really, as we gladly went 500 miles to arrive at this door.” Their new home comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered, plus £200,000 of furnishings. The couple also pocket £250,000 in cash and can choose to either move in, rent it out for supplementary income, or sell up to become a cash multi-millionaire. If they decide to keep it, the £250,000 would easily cover running costs for many years. The couple are huge fans of The Proclaimers – and happily moved 500 miles from their Scotland home Credit: Omaze They’ve wasted no time in moving in Credit: Omaze If they choose to rent it out, estimates suggest the property could achieve a long-term rental value of around £4,500 per month. For now, they are in no rush to make a decision. “We’re going to keep it for a while and just enjoy it,” said Mary, who “can’t wait to host Christmas here with all the family”. Until now, the best thing Mary had won was a £100 turkey – landed just in time for Christmas. “A tasty win for sure,” she said, “but not as tasty as this.” Mary, who has worked in the public sector for 34 years, bought her £4 million winning entry for just £15 as part of her Omaze subscription, and only started entering after a colleague won an Omaze house in the Lake District in 2023. She said: “When I saw that he’d won, it made me realise real people really do win these houses – I did wonder if he’d used up all the luck around here, but it must’ve rubbed off on me. There must be something in the water up here.” She added: “I texted him after I found out – as he was the only person I knew who could possibly know how I was feeling.” The property in Cornwall is a world away from the terrace house in Castle Douglas the couple have called home since 2000. “We’ll need binoculars to see our new neighbours,” Mary joked. 1107357017 Credit: Omaze 1107356872 Credit: Omaze The couple last visited Cornwall 20 years ago, where they travelled up and down the coast staying in hotels. On her new house she said: “We never imagined that when we next came back to Cornwall, it would be to see our very own £4 million mansion. “It’s the size of the hotels we stayed in 20 years ago, absolutely stunning, we just can’t believe it’s all ours.” She joked: “Our house in Scotland could probably fit on the turning circle on our new driveway.” Despite their new house coming with a heated outdoor swimming pool, complete with a swim-up bar – Mary and John revealed neither of them can swim – but said it’s “no problem”, as they’ve already spotted a couple of rubber rings at the house, so they’ll be “enjoying a dip”. Keen garden-visitors themselves, the couple are relishing the role reversal. “We love visiting gardens – now we’ll have people visiting ours, it’s simply magnificent – so my grandsons will have to watch out when playing football here,” said Mary. She concluded: “This win is fantastic for all our family, we’ll enjoy it together for now, and owning such a valuable property is life-changing for all of us.” John spent 27 years as a draughtsman at a Motherwell steelworks before an IT role with the fire and rescue service, retiring in 2011. The couple have been together since 1996 and married in 2017. Mary has two daughters, one of whom sadly passed away. They are very close to her late daughter’s two boys – grandsons aged 17 and 22 – and say the win is “something that has changed our family’s future”. Their breathtaking new home was designed to make the most of its coastal setting, with floor-to-ceiling windows to take in the views. The ground floor features four double bedrooms, three with dressing rooms, all with en suite bathrooms. The first floor offers a spacious open-plan kitchen, dining room and living room, along with a study, conservatory, boot room and utility room. The expansive grounds feature a heated outdoor swimming pool, complete with a swim-up bar, sunken banquette seating and fire pit, set within beautifully landscaped gardens. An outdoor kitchen with BBQ and pizza oven sits on the north terrace, ready for John and Mary to entertain, while a private driveway leads to a three-car garage. The property sits on the Lizard Peninsula, on the eastern side of the Cornwall National Landscape. The sheltered, sandy crescent of Porthbeer Cove is a short stroll away along the South West Coast Path. Falmouth, with its harbourside restaurants and galleries, is around 30 minutes away, while Redruth offers the nearest mainline station, with direct services to London Paddington. As well as making Mary a multi-millionaire, Omaze has partnered with Wellbeing of Women to help fund vital research into women’s health. Alongside the guaranteed £1,000,000 raised through the draw, Omaze has also committed a further £3,500,000 through a separate multi-year grant – bringing the total contribution to Wellbeing of Women to £4,500,000. The partnership with Omaze will help fund the next generation of women’s health researchers to better understand the health issues that affect women throughout their lives – from periods and fertility to pregnancy, menopause and beyond. The Omaze Women’s Health Research Programme will help close long-standing gaps in women’s health and create a future where every woman can access the care and information she needs at every age. Wellbeing of Women’s partnership with Omaze is supported by comedian and actress Jennifer Saunders. Jennifer said: “I am proud to support the charity Wellbeing of Women who fund vital research to power breakthroughs in women’s health. “When women’s health improves, everyone benefits. Through supporting the draw, the Omaze Community will make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of women and girls across the country.” Matt Pohlson, Founder and CEO of Omaze, said: “Everyone at Omaze is over the moon that Mary and John have won this spectacular home in Cornwall, whilst also supporting Wellbeing of Women. “Omaze offers people the chance to win incredible prizes, whilst also introducing charities to new audiences that they wouldn’t normally reach – it’s a win-win for entrants and our charity partners. “We’re immensely proud that the Omaze Community has now raised over £150 million for good causes across the UK.” Separately, Omaze is now pledging over £40 million a year for UK charities through a series of independent philanthropic grants, helping to deliver long-term impact for good causes across the country. To date, Omaze has awarded over £250 million in total prize value to its customers in the UK, creating more than 50 millionaires through a combination of spectacular Grand Prize house wins and tax-free cash prizes. Draw entries for the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, London, are available now at omaze.co.uk. The Grand Prize Draw closes on September 27 2026 for online entries and September 29 2026 for postal entries. In addition to the Grand Prize, anyone entering online by September 13 2026 (September 15 2026 for postal entries) will also be in with the chance to win an incredible Early Bird Prize of £100,000 in cash along with a Mercedes AMG GT. Entrants can also subscribe for best value bundles and automatic entry into every monthly House, Early Bird and Omaze Monthly Millionaire Draw. For full terms and conditions, see omaze.co.uk. No purchase necessary to enter. Over 18s and UK residents only. Comment now