A primary school teacher has won the keys to a waterside winter wonderland in the Lake District worth £4 million – along with £250,000 in cash – and broke her Dry January promise to celebrate.
Hannah Drury, 42, won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw and is now the proud owner of a secluded sanctuary surrounded by nature, offering spectacular views, with the third largest lake in the Lake District, Coniston Water, right on her doorstep.
The stunning property was redeveloped and redesigned by Omaze, and comes mortgage-free, with all legal fees covered.
Hannah has also been given £250,000 in cash to help her settle in and can decide to either live in the house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it whenever she wishes to become a cash multi-millionaire.
If the mum of three decides to keep the stunning property, it is estimated that the £250,000 would enable them to run the house for over 10 years.
If she decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of £4,000 per month.
Hannah, who bought her £4 million winning entry for just £25 as part of her Omaze subscription which she’d only just signed up to in late December, has been working as a music teacher for 20 years, and currently teaches at a local primary school.
Hannah is also a trained operatic soprano, who has sung lead roles in over 25 operas nationwide.
Her husband of 10 years Rupert, 49, is also a music teacher at a local secondary school – and an operatic tenor – which 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 and said winning this house “is obviously the best present we’ll ever give to each other”, have three young children, two girls and a boy aged between two and eight years old – and have lived in their current three-bedroom house in Frome for nine years.
When Omaze first contacted Hannah to tell her she’d scooped a prize she assumed it was a friend winding her up.
Hannah was only three days into her Dry January attempt when she got the good news, but immediately broke out the champagne to celebrate.
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 £4 million mansion! I was speechless, and that never happens! My husband was flabbergasted as he didn’t even know I’d entered!
“I had planned to do Dry January this year, but that went out the window immediately! I lasted all of three days, but if you can’t have a drink when you’ve won a £4 million house when can you!?
“We opened a bottle we’d been saving for a special occasion, but it had actually gone off and tasted like vinegar! Luckily we had a back-up so popped that instead.
“Our daughter came downstairs the morning after and said she’d dreamt someone had given us a big house, we told her that on this occasion her dream had come true!
“We’ve barely slept, we had butterflies all weekend. Keeping the news a secret from our friends has been tricky, especially when you have three very chatty children!”
“The house is simply spellbinding! We’ve never seen anything so spectacular. The views of the lake are unreal and all the children are so excited, they can’t wait to jump into the hot tub!
“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 headmistress’s office tomorrow!
“I’m also a doula, but on this occasion it’s Omaze that has delivered!
“We’ll definitely enjoy the house as a family for a while. I’ve got a feeling we’re going to be very popular this year—our phones won’t stop ringing!
“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!”
On what the future holds she said: “Thanks to £250k we also got as part of the win, we could afford to stay here for more than ten years if we decided to. I only bought my tickets on December 22, so winning this was quite the stocking filler…and all for just £25!
“We’ve got so many options now—we could do some kind of opera masterclass retreat here, where we can combine all the things we’re passionate about, it’s so exciting. Whatever we decide to do long-term, this win has changed our lives forever. Our children’s future is secure no matter what, and they can live lives that are rich in experiences, it’s a wonderful feeling.”
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 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 house is just a short drive from Coniston, nestled between Coniston Water and the Old Man of Coniston.
As well as making Hannah a multimillionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, the Lake District, raised £5,250,000 for Age UK—Omaze’s biggest ever raise for a charity partner.
The Omaze partnership was backed by radio presenter and Age UK Ambassador, Ken Bruce who said he couldn’t believe the terrific amount of money raised and that it will make “such a huge difference” to the people Age UK support.
