A ‘proud Yorkshire lass’ has received the best birthday present ever – the keys to a picturesque farmhouse near Harrogate – along with £100,000 in cash – combining for a Grand Prize value worth over £2,000,000 – as part of a charity prize draw that raised £1,950,000 for Blood Cancer UK.
Eliza Yahioglu (56) has won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw – a beautifully renovated, 17th century, hillside farmhouse located close to the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Yorkshire.
The house comes mortgage free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. Eliza is free to either live in the house, rent it out or sell it.
If Eliza decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve an annual rental value of almost £50,000.
Eliza will celebrate 30 years of marriage to her husband Gokhan this November. The couple have lived in London for nearly 40 years since meeting at Brunel University in the mid 80s. They’ve lived in their current home in North London for ten years and have a son Carl (24) who manages a bar and a daughter Leyla (21) who is studying biomedical science at the University of Sussex in Brighton.
Eliza – whose winning entry came from her £25 a month Omaze subscription – is originally from Yorkshire and has been working in the financial sector for over 30 years – her husband Gokhan is the co-founder of a biotech company that specialises in cancer research.
When Omaze knocked at her door to tell her she’d scooped a prize – the team discovered she was on holiday in Luxembourg celebrating her birthday, which was that very same day. Thankfully her son Carl was at home, so Omaze video called her to share the good news. After finding out she’d won her mega prize, Eliza joked that her husband was “going to struggle to top this for my birthday next year”.
An elated Eliza said: “It was actually my birthday the day we found out I’d won – so we’d gone abroad to celebrate. We were out having drinks with friends when the doorbell app on my husband’s phone buzzed – I actually moaned at him for picking up the phone and being anti-social! I’m glad he did as we all immediately recognised the face smiling back at us as Jo the Omaze presenter from the TV ads – that’s when we thought we might have won something – either that or someone is pulling a very elaborate hoax!
“Luckily our son was home to answer the door so she could confirm the good news to us, the whole thing was so bizarre it didn’t feel real.
“We were in a bar at the time, which was the perfect place to start celebrating, we got a bottle of fizz in straight away. When we went to bed we still weren’t convinced it was real, we expected to wake up realising it had all been a dream.
“I’ve lived in London for almost 40 years but I’m a proud Yorkshire lass at heart. My parents and sister still live there, so we come up as often as we can. We’d always dreamed of having a place in Yorkshire one day, close to what I still call home – now that dream has come true! Mum and dad can come and stay with us when we’re up here now – rather than the other way around.
“I’ve wanted to get a dog for years, but living in London, my husband has always said we don’t have enough room to get a dog – but with this garden and being surrounded by rolling hills, he can’t use lack of space as an excuse to not get one anymore!
“We’re going to enjoy it as a family for now – this house was made for Christmas so we’ll be hosting all the family here this year for sure – but who knows what the future holds in the long-term, whatever we decide, my children’s future is more secure than ever.”
She added: “We’re really pleased the money raised from this Omaze partnership is going to help Blood Cancer UK – my husband is a cancer research scientist, so we know just how vitally important research is in the battle against this disease.”
Eliza will enjoy the tranquil countryside setting the property provides – with breathtaking views across the neighbouring valley, as well as the surrounding five acres of manicured grounds and gardens.
The main house has been renovated and finished in a tasteful, contemporary style, whilst still maintaining its historical character. The result is a harmonious blend of original period features, flawlessly combined with modern luxuries and conveniences. The charming period stone farmhouse also comes with a guest cottage, meaning the property has 4-bedrooms in total.
The property offers well-balanced living spaces providing both practicality and comfort for everyday living, with rooms bathed in natural light and featuring original beams, timber floors and other architectural details encompassing the original stonework; as well as offering spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.
Eliza can enjoy preparing meals for family and friends in the beautiful kitchen and dining space, complete with Aga cooker – which leads into a spacious garden room that allows an abundance of natural light to pour in during the day and has a contemporary wood burning stove to snuggle up in front of on long winter nights.
The ground floor also has a cosy sitting room with a traditional fireplace that provides another perfect place for a family to relax and unwind in. There is ample space for hosting with a dedicated breakfast and dining room, reception hall, and a utility room with Miele appliances.
Upstairs has a main bedroom boasting an ensuite bathroom and a dressing room – as well as two further double bedrooms and a bathroom.
The outbuildings consist of a former granary that has been converted into a delightful two storey, one-bedroomed guest cottage complete with dining area and bathrooms. The adjoining garage has been extended into the loft space to provide a workshop and home office.
The property is also a haven for gardening enthusiasts. A raised terrace has steps leading down to the south facing mature gardens that are bordered by manicured hedges and layer beds. These give way to a yew parterre with gravel path leading to the lower lawn which extends around the perimeter of the gardens, connecting opposing paddocks and framing either side of the property, creating a natural sense of privacy.
Just below the garages is another terraced garden with raised beds and a glazed potting shed offering an ideal space for those of a green fingered persuasion.
The Victorian spa town of Harrogate is only 7 miles away and provides an excellent range of shops, schools, theatres, restaurants (including the famous Bettys Tea Room), pubs, bars, cinemas and essential services, including railway links to Leeds and York, both providing frequent services to London Kings Cross and Edinburgh. Equally accessible is the pretty town of Ilkley (14 miles) which also offers a superb range of shops, eateries and services.
The winner will have plenty of stunning walking options available from their doorstep, including along the River Nidd. The property is close to the popular Nidderdale villages of Hampsthwaite (about two and a half miles) and Birtswith (about one and a half miles). The nearby villages provide local artisan shops, cafes, pubs, a doctor surgery in Birtswith and primary school in Hampsthwaite.
As well as making Eliza a multi-millionaire, the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Yorkshire, also raised a staggering £1,950,000 – in just six weeks – to support Blood Cancer UK. This is the second time the charity has teamed up with the fundraising platform. The first partnership, in 2022, raised £1,000,000, bringing the total raised by Omaze for Blood Cancer UK to £2,950,000.
The money raised from last year’s partnership funded new research projects working on saving the lives of children.The £1,950,000 raised from the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw will build on this, helping to further develop research into hard-to-treat blood cancers and investigating treatment types that could be more effective and potentially less harmful treatment, particularly for younger people.
Also in attendance for Eliza’s house tour were Blood Cancer UK supporters, proud Yorkshire locals and original Calendar Girls Angela Baker, Chris Clancy, Lynda Logan and Lynda’s husband Terry, the famous calendar’s photographer. The Calendar Girls are a group of friends from the Women’s Institute who decided to shoot their own Pirelli style nude calendar to raise funds for Blood Cancer UK, after Angela’s husband died from cancer. They inspired the hit film of the same name which was released 20 years ago this September.
The original Calendar Girls are delighted that the latest Omaze house was in their native Yorkshire – with Lynda joking that “The house is absolutely gorgeous and only 10 minutes away, maybe we’ll ask to use it for another calendar shoot!”
Helen Rowntree, Chief Executive of Blood Cancer UK, said: “We’re delighted that the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Yorkshire has raised a fantastic £1,950,000 in just 6 weeks. At Blood Cancer UK we hear far too many heartbreaking experiences of people who have lost people they love to blood cancer, in fact it’s the UK’s third biggest cancer killer. But thanks to the tireless effort of researchers, the day we beat blood cancer is closer than ever.
“The money raised by the Omaze community will help develop research into more effective and potentially less harmful treatment particularly for younger people. Thank you to everyone who has supported the Omaze draw!”
James Oakes from Omaze, said: “We’re delighted that Eliza has won this wonderful house in her native Yorkshire – whilst also contributing to the £1,950,000 raised for Blood Cancer UK in the process.
“Omaze is a win-win for both charities and entrants. By offering incredible prizes, like this beautiful house in Yorkshire, we give people the chance to win the amazing houses, while also introducing charities to audiences they wouldn’t usually be able to reach. We’re incredibly proud that the Omaze community has already raised over seventeen million pounds for good causes across the UK.”
Draw entries for the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Norfolk are available now at www.omaze.co.uk. The draw closes on Bank Holiday Monday 28th August for online entries and Wednesday 30th August 2023 for postal entries.
