An enterprising Yorkshire couple are offering people the chance to own a £700K dream home for just £3.
Martin and Sue Stephenson hope to raise an incredible £100,000 for Alzheimer’s Society with the prize draw for the spectacular converted chapel in North Wales.
The 150-year-old building, in beautiful southern Snowdonia, operates as a hugely successful luxury holiday let.
The couple had planned to hold onto the property until 2022 but have now decided to move back to their native Yorkshire to be close to Martin’s parents.
Former building surveyor Martin, 57, said: “My dad was diagnosed with dementia about two years ago and my mum is his main carer.
“They’re both 88 and while mum is coping well at the moment, she’s not indestructible. We can see the writing on the wall and that’s why we need to move closer to Sheffield, where they live, to give them the support they need.”
The couple hit on the idea of giving someone the chance to win the historic property, rather than simply putting it on the market in the usual way, after witnessing other successful prize draws.
Sue, 53, a former marketing consultant, said: “A few of years ago we put together a bucket list that included raising a large amount of money for charity.
“Hopefully, the prize draw will help us tick that box, as well as creating a life-changing opportunity for someone, so it really is a win-win situation.”
The property comprises two homes within the same chapel conversion – Capel Jerusalem and Jerusalem Vestry.
They have a total of seven en-suite rooms and the prize even comes with all furniture and contents, including a sauna, hot tub and grand piano, so it can continue to operate as a holiday let if desired.
The couple say that by renting both houses, an annual income of £100K is possible.
They need to sell 330,000 tickets to make the plan viable, which they are confident they can achieve, resulting in a donation of at least £100,000 to Alzheimer’s Society.
Father-of-two Martin added: “We bought the property on a whim 14 years ago with no real plans for it, but it became a labour of love.
“We lived in Shrewsbury for four years and rented the entire place out but a couple of years ago we moved into the vestry and just rented out the chapel.
“It meant we could enjoy the area too as it really is spectacular – we couldn’t have been in a better place during the recent lockdown.
“We want Alzheimer’s Society to benefit from the prize draw as it’s such a worthwhile cause. Dementia is a condition that affects so many people but doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
“The worst thing about it is that you end up losing the person little by little before your very eyes – it’s a difficult thing to watch.
“My dad (right) served in the RAF and spent 40 years as a sales rep. He had a big personality and, along with mum, was instrumental in founding the Lambretta Club in Sheffield.
“But he’s gone from being someone who never stopped talking to someone who sits in the corner of the room saying very little.
“Raising money for Alzheimer’s Society is a perfect fit for us as I’ve also lost another two members of my family to dementia in the past two years.”
There are an estimated 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, including more than 67,000 in Yorkshire and Humberside. The condition is the UK’s biggest killer, with someone developing it every three minutes.
Chris Manley, Alzheimer’s Society Philanthropy Manager, said: We are very grateful to Martin and Sue for choosing support Alzheimer’s Society in this way – it really is an incredible gesture.
“Right now, people living with dementia need our support more than ever because of how hard the coronavirus pandemic has hit them.
“Our services have been used more than 1.7 million times since lockdown began. Our trained staff have made more than 110,000 welfare calls to people with dementia and their carers to offer support, information and to reassure them that they are not alone. Every penny raised by our dedicated fundraisers is helping us to continue this vital work.”
To find out how you can enter the prize draw to win the property, https://www.winadreamproperty.co.uk
