Staff Reporter
A 52-year-old man from Edinburgh has won a villa in Spain worth £3 million as well as £250,000 in cash after entering a lottery while trying to buy a battered second-hand armchair.
The prizes that have ended up in the hands of Graham Dunlop are thanks to a charity draw called Omaze, which runs regular lotteries with extravagant prizes such as houses, and then splits its profits with charities.
Dunlop, who lives in Southampton with his wife and their two children, entered the draw when he had an encounter with the woman who was selling the armchair.
She wouldn’t take any payment for it from him, according to a report in The Times, and told him instead to donate to charity.
Her NGO of choice was Alzheimer’s Research UK, given that her late husband had suffered dementia.
As well as donating, Dunlop also entered the Omaze draw for £75 as it was also supporting the same charity.
His lucky ticket was the winner, which has left him the new owner of a four-bedroom villa in Mallorca, complete with a swimming pool and stunning views of the mountains on the Balearic island.
“I’ve never won anything before but it’s been worth the 50-year wait to end up here,” he said after he had seen his new property in Mallorca.
“This win is fantastic for our family’s future,” he continued. “It just opens up so many opportunities. The money really helps give us a bit of peace of mind and gives us some choices about how we choose to spend the rest of our lives.”
The Omaze draw not only made Dunlop and his family multi-millionaires, but also raised £3.1 million for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
