Last chance to enter 'dream house' raffle

Published on 21st June 2007 in News

Entrants in a competition to win a £650,000 house have less than a month left to wait.

People from as far away as Taiwan have paid £60 for the chance to win Alf and Kath Overy''s Reedness house in a competition due to be drawn on July 16.

The competition was set up in April after the couple were unable to sell The Old Parsonage on the housing market.

Entry to the competition is online at www.winthishome.org.uk and takes the form of a spot-the-ball type contest.

It has attracted attention from across the globe.

Alf said: "We've been astounded by the reaction to the competition.

"We knew it would generate some interest but the media attention has been overwhelming.

"I've spoken to radio stations in Australia, Wales, Scotland and Dublin."

Entrants have to guess where the shadow of the telephone pole outside the Overys' house will fall on a doctored image of the property and enter their guess online.

A reserve figure of 25,000 entrants has been put on the competition, which if not met, means the winner will receive a cash prize instead of the house.

The estimates are entered in a sealed database and Mr Overy was unable to say exactly how many people have entered.

However, he told the Goole Times: "Every day, new entries come in. We've had them from as far away as Taiwan, America, Australia, Belgium and Holland.

"People see the house on the TV and then come and find it to make sure it actually exists.

"We even had one knock at the door from a man with a spirit level asking if he could measure the pole and the height of the house before entering the competition. We said: 'Yes, of course', but it was surreal to say the least.

"There's only one month left to enter the competition and both Kath and I are getting nervous at the prospect of packing 24 years of our lives into boxes – but at the same time we're very much thrilled for the eventual winner.

"I hope they enjoy it as much as we have over the years."

Alf and Kath will hand over the keys to the house on September 1.

The Old Parsonage is a Georgian Grade II Listed property valued at £650,000

It is 300 years old, boasts 17 rooms and lies in almost three acres of land.

As well as a novel way to sell their home, Alf and Kath are also using the competition as an opportunity to raise money for their favourite charity.

The couple have kept horses throughout their time at the house and are keen supporters of the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH).

They had originally left the estate to the ILPH in their wills but were concerned that downsizing would vastly reduce the amount gifted.

So, after taking advice from lawyers and a professional fundraising firm, they decided to offer the house in a competition which will enable ILPH to benefit from £250,000 now.

A local solicitor has verified the competition and given advice to the couple on how to run it.

More information and details of how to enter the competition are available from www.winthishome.org.uk.