Omaze Cheshire winner Kevin Bryant outside his new £3.5 million home (Image: Omaze)
Kevin Bryant (53) won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw, in Cheshire, and is now the proud owner of a stunning five-bedroom home in Prestbury, known for being a footballer’s paradise, where many stars from his favourite team live in luxury homes.
The Premier League level property comes mortgage-free and with all legal fees and stamp duty covered. Kevin has also been given a whopping £100,000 in cash to help him settle in – and can decide to either live in the house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it whenever he wishes to become a cash multi-millionaire.
If Kevin decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of £20,000 per month.
Kevin, who bought his £3.5 million winning entry for just £25 as part of his monthly Omaze subscription, works for a company that provides IT support for a local authority and the NHS. He previously served in the Royal Navy for 11 years on submarines, as a weapons engineer.
His wife of 32 years has worked for the NHS for 30 years, and the couple have lived in their current 3-bedroom Georgian terrace house in Plymouth since 2005.
When Kevin found out he’d won the Grand Prize, he cracked open an 18-year-old bottle of whisky he’d been saving for a “special occasion”.
A gobsmacked Kevin said: “I’d been manifesting this win for ages, telling anyone who would listen that the house was already mine! But when I came home from work to see the Omaze team outside my house – I still couldn’t believe my eyes!
“Once everyone had gone I cracked open the good whisky to celebrate – I thought if you can’t drink a good whisky after winning a £3.5million house, when can you!?
“It was the longest bank holiday ever – I didn’t really sleep – I just couldn’t wait to come and see what I’d won.
An exterior shot of the £3.5m property (Image: Omaze)
“The house is absolutely gorgeous – just stunning. With a kitchen as nice as this I better learn how to cook! We’ve got a large extended family and lots of wonderful friends – we can’t wait to host everyone here.
“My mum was born in Greater Manchester – so this is a bit of a homecoming really. She already has her eye on the room with the walk-in wardrobe! She’s still working at 77-years-old – but now I’m hoping she’ll finally consider retirement.
“I love the area as I come up here to watch my beloved Man City whenever I can. I can’t believe I now own a house in footballers’ paradise where a lot of the squad live – maybe I’ll bump into Jack Grealish or Pep Guardiola when I pop out to get a pint of milk!
“I love golf, and actually had to cancel a golf trip to come and see the house, but obviously it was well worth it as this certainly feels like a home in one!”
Kevin joked: “Even though we’ve won this amazing house, plus £100k in cash, my wife is insisting that she wants to keep her 11-year-old Skoda Roomster – we’ll definitely stand out at the local supermarket parked next to all the Lamborghinis.”
He added: “This win changes everything for us – it gives us so many options – I might consider early retirement. Work can be very stressful for both of us – my wife has worked for the NHS for 30 years and that can take its toll – so we were both already thinking about making changes to our lives – this win enables us to do just that now. She’s always wanted to drive a tractor for a living – so we’ll ask the farmer next door if he’s hiring!
“I’ve had some health issues recently, so I feel lucky to be here at all, let alone as the owner of a £3.5 million pound house!”
A shot of the bespoke handmade kitchen (Image: Omaze)
He continued: “I’ve entered the Omaze House Draws a couple of times before, as a lot of the charities are close to my heart – my mother-in-law had Alzheimer’s, so when I saw how much Omaze had raised for Alzheimer’s Research UK, I decided to subscribe, and I’m very glad I did!
“I’m not sure what we’ll do long term yet – we’ll definitely come up and enjoy it as a family for a bit – whatever we decide to do, this win is going to change our lives forever!”
Kevin’s new home is located in one of the most exclusive areas in the country and has been meticulously designed to provide a perfect blend of traditional and contemporary style – incorporating a mixture of brick, Sandstone detailing and timber cladding.
The impressive 7,000 sq ft new build property is encompassed by manicured grounds including south facing gardens to the rear and a gated private driveway with ample parking.
The dining room (Image: Omaze)
The house has a galleried entrance hall with a feature staircase. Large windows not only provide beautiful views, but also fill the home with natural light, creating a bright and airy atmosphere inside, alongside the high ceilings and impressive room proportions throughout.
The main reception rooms have bi-folding doors leading out to the gardens and a terrace that captures the light all day with the south facing aspect.
The heart of the home is the spacious open plan kitchen, living and dining area. The bespoke handmade kitchen includes a range of integrated Miele appliances, coffee station, a large central island and a walk-in pantry with bi-folding doors leading onto the rear terrace.
The main living room features more bi-folding doors that also open onto the rear garden. The ground floor also has a cinema room, a study with great views over the front of the house and a home gym complete with shower room. There is home audio and underfloor heating throughout the ground floor.
The family room – the heart of the house (Image: Omaze)
One of the property’s five bedrooms (Image: Omaze)
The first-floor features five generous bedrooms – three of which have en suite bathrooms with fitted dressing areas.
The main bedroom suite has a huge walk-in dressing room, beautifully fitted en suite bathroom including a walk-in rainfall shower, a tiled bath and a large backlit mirror concealed television.
The main bedroom even has its own night kitchen – with a built-in fridge – and windows overlooking the rear garden. The further two bedrooms both have built-in wardrobes and share the family bathroom.
Outside there is a double garage with electric doors and separate suite above with its own entrance and use of the ground floor shower room.
To the front of the property there is box hedging and planting with additional lawned areas and large south facing gardens to the rear with lawns, mature hedging, planted borders, and a large patio spanning the full width of the house with external audio speakers, ideal for entertaining and alfresco dining.
The desirable village of Prestbury is within a short walk of the property and is renowned for its range of upmarket shops, eateries and schools – including the new Kings School Macclesfield – together with a tennis club, park, and train station enabling easy access to Manchester and London.
The dining room (Image: Omaze)
The dressing room (Image: Omaze)
As well as making Kevin a multi-millionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Cheshire, raised £3 million for the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK. It was set up to continue the incredible legacy of Dame Deborah James, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016, aged 35, and went on to become a tireless campaigner and fundraiser.
Around 44,100 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK each year, making it the fourth most common cancer in the UK and the second most common cause of cancer death.
The Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK aims to give more people more time with the people they love by funding cutting-edge research and raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer.
The money raised by this partnership with Omaze will fully fund a cutting-edge research project that hopes to harness the power of our immune systems to destroy cancer so that more people survive their disease.
Dame Deborah’s mum, Heather James said “This is a staggering sum of money raised – Deborah would be over the moon with this amount! Thank you to everyone who entered the draw. Deborah touched the lives of so many when she was alive and this money will help continue her legacy through the Bowelbabe Fund and make a real difference to people affected by cancer.”
Phil Almond, Executive Director of Marketing, Fundraising and Engagement at Cancer Research UK said:“We’re thrilled that the Omaze house draw has raised an incredible £3 million for the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK and want to thank everyone who entered. The Fund was set up to continue the incredible legacy of Dame Deborah James and the money raised will help continue its vital work in funding cutting-edge research into bowel cancer, that will help give more people affected by the disease more time with the people they love.”
This is the second time Cancer Research UK has teamed up with Omaze. The first partnership in 2021 raised £500,000 for the charity’s vital work, to help bring about a world where everybody can lead longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.
It was Omaze’s 25th house draw – and saw it return to where the very first Omaze house was given away in 2020.
Heather James celebrates a £3million donation to the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK (Image: Omaze)
James Oakes, Chief International Officer at Omaze, said: “Everyone at Omaze is delighted that Kevin has won this stunning house in Cheshire, back where it all began for Omaze in the UK, whilst also contributing to the £3 million raised for the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK.
“Omaze gives people the chance to win amazing houses, like this incredible house in Cheshire, whilst also introducing charities to vast new audiences that would otherwise be out of reach – it’s a real win:win for both charities and entrants. We’re incredibly proud that the Omaze community has raised over £40 million for good causes across the UK.”
Draw entries for the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Dorset, in aid of Children in Need, are available now at omaze.co.uk. The Draw closes on Bank Holiday Monday 27th May for online entries and Wednesday 29th May, 2024 for postal entries.
Entrants can also choose to subscribe to Omaze to be automatically entered into every Grand Prize and Early Bird Prize, each month. Omaze subscribers receive double the amount of entries compared to non-subscribers and can cancel their subscription at any time. When Omaze has two draws running simultaneously, subscribers are entered into both, with a £10 subscription providing 30 entries into both house draws – meaning 60 entries in total for just £10.
For full terms and conditions, see www.omaze.co.uk. No purchase necessary to enter. Over 18s and UK residents only.
