I celebrated £4.5m Omaze Million Pound House mansion win with a burger at my local pub

Video (click to play above) shows what it’s like inside the stunning £4.5m home, which an ex-Paratrooper won in the Omaze Million House Draw back in 2023.

The clip shows some of the breath-taking views and stunning interiors in the place that Daren Bell, 54, now calls home. The stunning nine-bedroom property came complete with a swimming pool and idyllic coastal views of the Blakeney salt marshes and harbour.

And speaking about his windfall, Daren reveals, in the video, that he celebrated in modest fashion - with a burger and pint at his local boozer. Talking about life after his huge win, Daren said: “It still feels like a dream some mornings, even though we’ve lived in the house for well over a year now. Winning something of this magnitude does take a while to sink in, it’s not every day you become a multi-millionaire overnight.

“When Omaze rocked up and told me I'd won this place, I was totally gobsmacked. I’ve never been the showy type, so to celebrate, we just went for a burger at a local pub, no champagne or anything, just a pint for me and a glass of wine for my partner Claire, while we sat there trying to comprehend what just happened.

Surreal

“The whole thing was so surreal, I remember waking up the next morning and thinking I must’ve been at the strong cheese again and simply dreamt it all!

“This house is amazing, as soon as we walked up the drive, it stopped being a house and immediately became our home, it was love at first sight. Every time I come home it still takes my breath away, I have to keep pinching myself to remind me I’m not dreaming.”

Speaking about the effect on his family life, Daren said: “Winning the house has been a seismic life change, it’s been the tonic we all needed. My family and friends are thrilled I won. I have a new house but it's more than that - I have a new home, new life and a new family.

“My first thought when I saw the house, apart from ‘Wow, wow, wow’, was that this needed to be a home for all of us.

“My partner Claire has four children, aged nine to 16 and there was no space for me in her rented home. I lived around the corner, in Bournemouth, with my four cats and a fish, in a four-bedroom property I owned.

“We loved each other but we were stuck with no way to move our relationship forward, as neither of us could afford to relocate. But winning the Norfolk house changed everything.”

Kids learnt to swim in their own pool

“Now we've made the house I won into the home we now enjoy as a family, it’s wonderful because at times we thought we might not ever be able to live together.

“The kids love it, they’ve learnt to swim in the pool, it’s great that they had the opportunity to learn such an important life skill in their own back garden!

“Now, any worries I ever had about money are gone. I live in an amazing house, in a beautiful part of the country, and I’m here with my partner and her children. I’m so grateful, we count our blessings every day.

“Friends have all been in touch wanting to come to stay – I don’t mind at all because it’s a joy to have people in the house. I had some friends over to watch the Six Nations in the cinema room. It felt completely surreal at times, but everyone loved it.

“I’m hoping to move my 84-year-old Dad in too, as there’s space for him to live in the cabin once he finally retires from his job as an NHS porter. It will be so nice to have all the generations together in one place.”

As a self-confessed workaholic, Daren still hasn’t left his job - but admitted he had to come clean with his boss about finally taking some off to visit the house for the first time, saying: “I love my job as a Technical Support Director of a major facilities management firm, and I’m a bit of a workaholic – I don’t think I’ve had a day off in five years.

“When I asked my boss for two days off at short notice (so I could visit the house for the first time) he was so worried I was seriously ill, that I had to let him know the truth. He was thrilled for me and promised not to tell anyone.

Fully furnished mansion

“I am still working full-time but I’ll re-evaluate that in a few years – I may cut down my hours or retire early. I sold my old home in Bournemouth and didn’t have a mortgage on it, so I have a good chunk of cash saved for the future.”

Speaking about moving into the house and the local area, Daren said: "The Omaze house was fully furnished with beautiful, quality pieces. But it’s been nice to put our own touches on the house too, like photos on the walls and memorabilia from my younger days jumping out of planes.

“My council tax is only £300 more per year than when I lived in a house less than half the size in Bournemouth. And I’ve installed solar panels, so my electricity bills are very reasonable.

Love the local pub

“We absolutely love life here in Norfolk. Everyone in the area has been so welcoming, we have great neighbours, it’s a real community here. On our first night there was a firework display, we joked that they’d put it on just for us!

“The local pub is great, the landlord is brilliant and my partner Claire does some volunteering at the local church.

“I’m an ex-paratrooper, so it's been an honour to become the treasurer at the local Royal British Legion.”

Daren was a paratrooper for four years, before leaving to take up sports parachuting and skydiving instructing for 24 years - where he amassed an impressive 2,222 jumps.

“I actually skydived over the house 25 years ago! It looked good from up there, but it’s even better on the ground!” he said.

Daren’s advice on how to win a life changing prize like this is simple: “If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone – but you’ve got to be in it to win it - so my advice is to get entering!

“I never in a million years expected to win - but I did - so all I can say to anyone thinking about entering is go for it!”

Draw entries for the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Norfolk are available now at omaze.co.uk

The spectacular house is the most valuable property ever to be offered in a UK prize draw - and comes with a wrap-around balcony offering uninterrupted, panoramic views of the North Norfolk Coast, a heated swimming pool, and its very own all-weather astroturf tennis court.

The draw closes this Sunday 23rd February 2025 for online entries and Tuesday 25th February 2025 for postal entries.

For full terms and conditions, see www.omaze.co.uk.