Seychellois wins luxurious London townhouse in Omaze prize draw |28 December 2023

Lady luck has smiled on Oceanne Belle, making her the grand prize winner of a £5 million London townhouse in the Omaze prize draw, earlier this month, and an additional cash prize of £100,000 to help with maintenance of the property and a comfortable living.

Seychelles’ born, Ms Belle, 49, is a student nurse who is studying to become a paediatrician nurse. She has been living in London for 19 years with her long-term partner Messaoud, 56.

According to UK newspaper, Banbury Guardian, the two were recently forced to live with friends as they could no longer afford rent, which was constantly being raised by their former landlord.

“On the Friday that I found I’ve won, I was really struggling writing my dissertation, to top it off a random number was calling me, so I blocked it,” she said in an interview to the UK press, assuming it was a scam.

“And then the number text me on WhatsApp saying that I’ve won an amazing prize. I came outside to be greeted by some Christmas carols. That’s when my life changed forever,” she said joyfully.

Ms Belle described it as an amazing feat. “Well now we’ve gone from staying at my friend’s flat to winning a £5 million house. How amazing is that? Now my family from the Seychelles can come over, we have plenty of rooms. I do not have a long-term plan for it, but I am definitely going to move in, make memories, and enjoy,” she said.

The registered commercial fundraiser, Omaze, offers a new property in its monthly prize draw. Apart from making Ms Belle a multi-millionaire, the Omaze house draw also raised £2,600,000 for NHS Charities Together – the national independent charity caring for the health service. The money from the draw will support projects such as training volunteer Community First Responders and members of the public in basic life-saving skills and providing more defibrillators across the country

“I recently had a long stay at the hospital. I owe my life to the NHS. That is why I am thrilled that this Omaze draw has raised so much money for the NHS charities together,” she added.

Ms Belle, who is currently studying Health and Social Care at the University of Sunderland in London, is free to either live in the four-storey property, rent it out or sell it to become a multimillionaire. UK estate agents estimate that the property, which is minutes from the King's Road, one of the most essential part of London’s rich history, could achieve a long-term rental value of around £140,000 a year.

She says winning the house, which also comes with a garden, is the “best Christmas present ever”.

The accompanying photos show a delighted Oceanne upon hearing the good news.

Diane Larame/ Banbury Guardian (UK Newspaper)