A £900,000 mansion has been placed in a prize draw to raise money for the NHS, with the lucky winner also being legally named a Lord or Lady for a year.
After 18 years restoring and living in the beautiful Melling Hall in Lancashire, Julie and Guy Vass have decided it is time to downsize.
Rather than putting the house on the market, GP surgery worker Julie and her husband Guy have decided to offer the house in a prize draw for just £2.50 per ticket.
This is to raise money for St John’s Hospice in Lancaster and NHS Charities Together.
Julie has worked throughout the Covid-19 outbreak and the couple's nearest hospice, St John's, has suffered heavily during the pandemic.
Their sons, Tim and Jonathan, now live in Warrington after moving out of the family home.
Melling Hall has six bedrooms and is a Grade II listed house set in the heart of the Lancashire village of Melling.
It also has a self-contained apartment in the loft with two bedrooms.
It is surrounded by spectacular open countryside with fantastic walks on its doorstep.
Guy said: "We have had lots of heart-warming and kind feedback, but a few people have said 'if I won the house, I wouldn’t be able to afford to keep it'.
"So, we have taken this on board and we will be giving the winner £7,000 to cover a year’s expenses.
"This is on top of the legal fees we have already included in the prize.
"This will give the winner time to decide whether they want to move in, sell, or rent out the house - perhaps even use it for a year and then sell it."
The winner/s will also legally be Lord or Lady of Melling for at least one year, a title that was gifted to the charity National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS).
Three years ago, Julie and Guy's next door neighbour Dunstan Low awarded his house as the prize in a similar competition and the couple were impressed by the concept.
His house was won by Warrington resident Marie Segar.
Melling Hall is worth £900,000 and up to £200,000 of the money raised will go to charity.
There is even a second prize of £5,000 which will be shared between the two entrants who have created the highest number of ticket sales by informing other people about the draw.
Each ticket costs £2.50 and you can find out more at www.winacountryhall.co.uk.
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