Snooker mad Simon Mawdsley has revealed that he plans to immediately replace a key item of furniture at the £4 million Omaze house he and his wife have bagged in Cornwall
A snooker-mad husband who scooped a £4 million Omaze home has revealed the first thing he did with the newly acquired seven-figure property.
Simon Mawdsley, 41, became an instant multi-millionaire after winning the spectacular coastal home in Cornwall – but planned to make one instant change sto the pile. He has said he will be immediately swapping out the dining table in the stunning pile – for some green baize.
The Greater Manchester web-developer, who now also has a tidy £250,000 sum to help him and his family settle in, admitted that his wife Riza, an Auditor who moved to the UK from the Philippines in 2019, “might need a bit of persuading”, however.
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Simon said he bought his winning entry for just £15 as part of his Omaze subscription and had been entering draws for more than two years. And he joked he’s ready to create his own “mini Crucible” overlooking the estuary. The house comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered, as well as £160,000 worth of furnishings.
Simon can choose to live in the house, rent it out for supplementary income, or sell up whenever he wishes. The day Omaze turned up to deliver the news they arrived at the wrong house as Simon had forgotten to update his address.
He said that when he was meant to be informed about the win, Omaze representatives had originally turned up his old address following his move from Bury to Bolton. He said: “Funnily enough Omaze turned up at the wrong house to tell me I’d won as I’d forgotten to update my address!”
“They called me to say I’d won a prize and could they pop round to see me, but they were actually at my old house. Thankfully we didn’t move that far, only to Bolton, so they nipped down the road to tell me what I’d won.”
“I remember thinking, if they’re coming to see me in person, I must have won something pretty good, but you never imagine you’ve won a house, that kind of stuff just doesn’t happen in real life. But they finally came and knocked on the door and that’s when I found out I was the owner of a £4m house in Cornwall!
“I was absolutely dumbfounded – I just stood there in utter disbelief! I was with my wife and we were both in complete shock. It was one hundred percent the craziest moment of our lives.”
“My wife had been working 14-hour days all week, but even though she was knackered, she started jumping up and down when they told us, she’s been jumping with joy ever since!
“First thing we did was go and see my mum and dad. They refused to believe us at first, but when they realised it was real, my mum burst into tears. We then showed them pictures of the house and she soon gathered herself and started planning which room she was going to take!”
If Simon decides to keep the stunning property, the £250,000 would enable him to run the house for many years. If he decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of around £4,500 per month.
Simon joked that his mum and dad “have selflessly offered to live in it for me when we’re not there!” He continued: “I haven’t been to Cornwall since we came on a family holiday 25 years ago. We absolutely loved it. I never imagined the next time I’d be back in Cornwall would be because I own a £4 million house here overlooking the sea! We stayed in a tiny £40-a-night B&B last time!
“I can’t believe we’ve got the beach literally on our doorstep! Back in Bolton all we’ve got on the doorstep is pavement and tarmac! We’ll have a big family holiday and bring everyone together this summer at the house.
“That’s something we’ve always talked about, but never get around to. No excuse now we’ve got the ultimate place to enjoy holidays! My dad and I love snooker, but we’ve never had the space for a proper snooker table before. We’ve been having to play virtual snooker at home.
“But now we’ve got more than enough room – I could even use my cue extension. I’ll set up my own mini Crucible here, complete with unbelievable views that will complement the green and blue balls on the table perfectly.
“I’m seriously thinking about swapping out the dining table for a snooker table – although my wife might need a bit of persuading, at least there’s now enough space to bring the discussion to the table, as it were.” On his plans for the future, he said: “Our goal has always been to retire early. We’ve been meticulously planning how we could achieve that since we met.
“We had spreadsheets, timelines, the works, everything was mapped out. We were basically going to work as hard as we can for the next 20 years and save every penny, but all of that’s gone out the window now, as all we really needed to do was win an Omaze house and become a multimillionaire, much easier!”
James Oakes, President of Omaze, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that Simon has won this incredible house in one of the UK’s most desirable coastal settings, while also helping to raise crucial funds to build the new Children’s Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
“Simon and his family have some fantastic options for the future. Whatever they decide to do, it will be completely transformative for him and his family.
“Omaze offers people the chance to win extraordinary prizes, while also raising vital funds and awareness for charities doing extraordinary work. Thanks to the generosity of the Omaze Community, we’ve now raised over £100 million for good causes across the UK.”
