Woman scoops £2.5m Omaze mansion and £250k cash on day she 'skived off work' with husband

Jo Booth, 61, was stunned to find she had won the 18th century Georgian country home with six bedrooms in the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Yorkshire

A lucky woman who works supporting the homeless has scooped a stunning £2.5m mansion and £250k cash in the latest Omaze draw – on a day she "skived off work" with her husband.

Jo Booth, 61, was overwhelmed to find she had won the 18th century Georgian country home with six bedrooms in the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Yorkshire.

It has acres of gardens and a spa pool - as well as its own paddocks, stables and state-of-the-art equestrian facilities. Her new property comes mortgage-free with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. She also scooped £250,000 in cash to help her settle in and can decide to either live in the house, rent it out for an income or sell it.

If she decides to rent it out local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of between £6,000 to £7,000 per month. Jo bought her multi-million-pound winning entry for just £10 as part of her Omaze subscription.

She joked that when Omaze came calling at her door, her first thought was that they ”might be burglars!” She has been married to husband Will Harrop, 51, for 17 years - and the couple have lived in their three-bedroom house in Dorset, that Will built himself, for the past 15 years.

Jo has worked with the homeless for almost 20 years, setting up a Community Interest Company (CIC) that works with local authorities to provide accommodation for people who are rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping.

Her husband and eldest son, Tony, also work for the CIC. Her big win means she can finally consider retirement, leaving Tony to continue her good work.

She also has another son, Dave, whose wife Ciara is on the board of directors of the CIC. She has two grandchildren, a boy aged 11 and girl aged 6. She said her golden labrador, Charlie, “will enjoy her massive new garden just as much as her grandchildren”.

An ecstatic Jo said: “The day I found out I'd won, I’d actually skived off work to enjoy a rare afternoon playing golf with my husband.

“I was already having a pretty good day to be fair, I’d shot my best ever round of golf, and was thinking life doesn’t get much better than this - but then I found out I’d won a multi-million-pound house, and realised I'd scored a home in one as well!

“It was such a surreal day - one minute you’re living a life where you worry about all the boring bills - and the next minute you’re a multi-millionaire and never have to worry about money ever again - it’s a dream come true!”

She joked: “When Omaze came to tell me what I'd won, I just saw a bunch of people in black puffa jackets heading towards my front door - I thought they were burglars at first!

“It’s been one big party since we found out. Everyone came over to our place and we had a massive party, we were raving in the kitchen until 3am - we drank the house dry, it was an unforgettable night and well worth the hangover!

“I still went to work the next day, but as soon as I'd finished, we drove straight up to Yorkshire as we were just too excited and couldn’t wait!”

On her new house, she said: “I thought the house looked good in pictures, but this place is absolutely gorgeous in real life - it was love at first sight - it’s like something out of Downton Abbey!

“We can’t wait to have everyone up here for a mega Christmas party, it’s gonna be a night to remember! And we’ve no need to bring in garden furniture to accommodate all the extended family for Christmas lunch anymore, as we could probably seat everyone we’ve met in this dining room!

“The first thing we clocked was the wine fridge, we’ll definitely be keeping that fully stocked!

“My grandchildren are going to love this place, they’ll be causing mayhem and making memories in no time! The garden is so big we could build our own golf course - and waking up to the views of Pickering Vale will never get old.

“We’ll be spoiling the grandchildren rotten this Christmas, I'll probably have to buy my granddaughter a pony now that I have my own stables.”

On her career in the charitable sector, she said: “I’ve worked with the homeless for almost 20-years now, I love my job - but you don’t do it for the money that’s for sure.

''I thought I’d still be working when I was 90 years old at this rate, but winning this house means I can finally think about retiring. I’ve never had a pension, but I reckon I’ll be alright now I've got this place! I’ll always do volunteer work, helping people is just in my nature, you can’t switch off caring.”

On what she plans to do with the house she said: “After we’ve all enjoyed a few parties up here, we’ll probably sell up and bank the cash, as the huge amount of money we’ll get is life changing for the entire family.

“But thanks to £250,000 we’ve pocketed as part of the win, we could afford to stay here for ten years if we wanted to. But cashing in will enable us to help all our children and grandchildren, it's a generational legacy for our family, and all for just a tenner!

“We’ll be treating everyone to a big family holiday to somewhere hot, maybe Florida, golf for us and Disneyland for the grandchildren, perfect!

“I only started entering Omaze in May, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made, well maybe just after marrying my husband, perhaps! I’m so glad I subscribed, it means I didn’t forget to enter thank goodness!

“We always give as much as we can to charity - that’s why I’ve been entering Omaze draws as even if I hadn't won - we’ve still contributed towards a worthy cause like Mencap.”

Jo’s new home is located in the desirable district of Ryedale - her property is an outstanding example of Georgian architecture, surrounded by countryside and set in a commanding position with spectacular views across the Vale of Pickering.

The stunning house has been exquisitely renovated to the highest standards, whilst still maintaining its historical character.

As well as making Jo a multi-millionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Yorkshire, raised £3,900,000 for Mencap.

Mencap supports people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives by supporting them directly and campaigning with them to make communities and society fairer and more inclusive.

Jon Sparkes OBE, Chief Executive at Mencap, said: “On behalf of everyone at Mencap, and the 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability, I want to thank everyone who entered this draw and helped reach this incredible total.

“People with a learning disability face barriers and inequality every single day. Societal barriers, discrimination and a lack of understanding mean that people with a learning disability are more likely to have a reduced life expectancy, are sometimes locked away against their will and often unable to do many things that other people take for granted.

“The money from this Omaze partnership will quite literally change lives. It will enable Mencap to fund crucial campaigning work, helping us to break down barriers and create a fairer, more inclusive society where people with a learning disability can thrive.”

The partnership with Omaze was backed by actor, Dr Who star, and proud Yorkshire native, Jodie Whittaker, who said: "Wow, what a fantastic amount of money for Mencap, which is an absolutely brilliant cause. I'm over the moon that this partnership will have such an impact for people with a learning disability."