Generous couple raffling off their £600k home for a fiver a ticket in order to raise over ONE MILLION pounds for charity
MARTY Pumbien, 44, and Annie Brown, 46, have decided to flog their renovated semi-detached property after living in it for ten years as they want to downsize.
But rather than simply sell the house they want one lucky ticket holder to have a chance to get hold of the keys – and raise more than £1 million for charity in the process.
The 100-year-old 2,500 sq ft home is based on Abington Park Crescent, Northampton, a residential street on the edge of a sprawling grassy park.
The competition opened to entries on April 10 and the winner will be announced on October 14.
• RAFFLE: Pictured with their dog Stumpy, Annie & Marty Pumbien from Northampton who have put up their house for a competition prize to help raise £1million for Unitydem which helps people living with dementia. Picture: SWNS
Tickets cost £5 - around the price of a McDonald's meal or a couple of pints of beer in the pub.
The property, listed on eMoov, comes fully equipped with four double bedrooms, three of which are en-suite, a state of the art kitchen, three reception rooms, a study, a utility room, a back garden, an exposed brick fireplace and heated floors.
The main bathroom is fitted with a whirlpool spa bath and waterfall shower.
NHS nurse Marty said they are selling the house via the raffle in order to raise money for dementia research at the University of Northampton.
He added: “It all sounds a bit mad but when you think about it, it’s a bit loopy but it’s a chance to make a difference.
“It’s an idea we had a couple of years ago and I was chatting to the missus about it and she gave me a slap and told me not to be so stupid and move on.
"But I started looking at doing some proper investigation work into it and eventually she came around to the idea.
“It is quite a minefield legally, the terms and conditions, getting round the legalities of the gambling, all that kind of stuff – it’s been a bit of a headache but we got there in the end.
“We’re both nurses and we have 40 years of experience between us of A&E and we see dementia patents all the time.
“The lack of support and facilities for them is scary really, especially in A&E where the conditions are worse.
“I see it in the community a lot as well now - if they have mild dementia they can live on their own and have a bit of help but they’re locked in their own homes.
“We sorted out the legalities, got talking to the university through our solicitors about their scheme and what they’re looking to do - they have loads of ideas but a lack of funding.
“We are used to helping people on a day-to-day and one-by-one basis, doing it this way we can actually help an entire community in one go.
The goal is to sell 500,000 tickets for £5 each - which will generate £2.5million if all of the tickets are bought.
The couple will give £1million to the research fund, which will be match-funded by the Northamptonshire Community Foundation to around £1.5million.
The couple will take back £800,000, which covers the cost of the house and the fees associated with selling it, leaving £700,000.
Marty added: "It is a massive house and there’s only me, the missus and a small dog.
“We refurbished it - it was all intended for children but it turns out we can’t have children.
“A lot of the house for us has become redundant, it needs a family - four double beds, three en-suites, walk-in showers, whirl baths, the whole kit and caboodle.
“The whole top floor, we never go up there - the two double beds on the top floor with en-suites, we never go up there.
“It’s not so much about why should you buy a ticket, but rather why not?
"With the leftover £700,000, if it all works out, we want to take that money and do it again and filter a bit more money down to get involved with other charities.
“We used to live in Manchester so we’re contemplating going there next."
Professor Simon Denny, executive dean of research at the University of Northampton, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Marty and Annie for their generosity in putting their house into this competition, which should reap dividends for the people of Northampton in the years to come by supporting UnityDEM.”
Prospective buyers need to answer a "skills testing question" before entering and can apply more than once.
Tickets for the house raffle can be bought at winahouse.net
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