Omaze win still ‘mind‑boggling’ as Essex grandmother sells Cornish mansion and buys new Fowey home

June Smith, 77, the Essex grandmother who won a £4. 5 million waterfront mansion in the 2023 omaze Million Pound House Draw, says the prize has changed the lives of her children and grandchildren almost three years on. The sale of the Fowey property unlocked multi‑million pounds that Smith used to secure her family’s finances and to buy a second home in Fowey where she now spends much of her time.

Omaze Million Pound House Draw in 2023

Smith was revealed as the winner of the 2023 Omaze Million Pound House Draw and became the owner of what has been described as a six‑bedroom, three‑storey waterfront home overlooking the Fowey Estuary in Cornwall. One account of the prize also refers to the property as a 34. 5m waterfront home; the cash value attached to the draw was £4. 5 million. The draw is the event that directly delivered the house and the accompanying funds to Smith.

June Smith's arrival at the Fowey waterfront mansion

Arriving at the elegant house above the Fowey Estuary was an emotional moment for Smith. She said it felt like the culmination of a family life she shared with her late husband Ron, who had worked in architecture and died the year before the win after 43 years together. Smith has said she felt he played a part in her good fortune and that he would have loved the house.

From Essex pension to a £4. 5 million prize

Smith remembers the night the news arrived: she had been settling down for a quiet Friday evening in Essex when there was a knock at the door and representatives from the draw told her she had won. She initially thought it was a wind‑up, then called her children and opened a bottle of red. The transformation was stark — she went from living on a single pension to owning a mansion — and that swing in personal finances is at the heart of why the win continues to matter to her family nearly three years later.

Family summer, flights from Australia and six grandchildren

Before selling the property, Smith staged a Cornish summer for the family: she flew her eldest son and his family from Australia business class, gathered her six grandchildren under one roof and spent days strolling the harbour, eating fish and chips on the quay and visiting local pubs. She recalled simple pleasures — tea and scones and trying Cornish pasties — and said the grandchildren ran wild around the house as the family enjoyed the waterfront setting.

Sale of the property, new Fowey home and family support

Smith later sold the Fowey property for millions and used the proceeds and the money that came with the house to provide lasting financial security for her family. She helped her children onto the property ladder, cleared mortgages, and funded new businesses for them, which she says has given previously unimaginable security to her children and grandchildren. She retains funds for her own needs and has since purchased another home in Fowey, where she now spends much of her time.

What makes this notable is the scale of the ripple effect: a single prize from omaze produced immediate family reunions, financed business starts and mortgage clearances, and enabled a permanent relocation to Cornwall for Smith. The sequence — win, family holiday, sale and targeted financial support — shows a direct cause and effect from the draw to multi‑generational change.

Smith is a mother of three and a grandmother of six from the Colchester area of Essex. She has described the house as love at first sight and noted features such as a stunning kitchen while reflecting that the win still feels "mind‑boggling" nearly three years after it transformed her and her family’s circumstances.