A lorry-driving grandfather has won one of the world’s fastest cars – as part of a campaign run by Omaze to help raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity).
Andrew Olsen, from Caerphilly, South Wales scooped the “Early Bird Prize” of Omaze’s latest Million Pound House Draw to win a McLaren 720S Spider worth £275,000.
It has a four litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine under the bonnet that produces a whopping 710bhp – helping it reach 0-60 in under three seconds and hit a top speed of 212mph – making it one of the world’s fastest supercars.
Mr Olsen has worked as an HGV driver for the past 15 years where he is more used to towing 44 tonne loads in his Scania 410, which could do 0-60 in 33 seconds – without a trailer – but is limited to a top speed of only 55mph.
He and his wife have two children and three grandchildren and celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary early this month. Mr Olsen found out he had won his incredible prize on his 60th birthday.
Mr Olson paid just £25 to purchase 40 entries to the Omaze Million Pound House Draw and the supercar was just one of the early bird prizes on offer.
A shocked Mr Olsen said: “I found out I’d won on my 60th birthday and was utterly speechless, I can’t comprehend it. I can honestly say it’s the best birthday present I’ve ever had.
“It couldn’t be more different from the lorry I drive for work. As much as I would love to keep this dream car, I will probably sell it, as the money would be life changing for my family.”
He added: “I think what Omaze is doing is amazing because it’s raising money to help GOSH Charity keep doing the incredible work they do to help seriously ill children.”
Mr Olsen is hoping his good luck continues and he can scoop the main prize – a grand house in Wimbledon, worth over £3.5million.
The elegant home serves up a host of luxury features that the winner will love including a large reception hall, spacious sitting room and dining room, a family room and study, an open plan sitting and dining space with kitchen.
It also features a huge master bedroom complete with an en-suite dressing area and bathroom and three other bedrooms – two with en-suite bathrooms, plus an integral double garage with interior door and beautiful two-tier gardens.
All stamp duty and legal fees are covered, and the winner is free to either live in the house, rent it out or sell it.
As well as making its grand prize winner an instant millionaire, the draw will also raise crucial funds for GOSH Charity to ensure it can support the hospital’s most urgent needs.
These include funding pioneering research, state-of-the-art medical equipment, vital support services for children and their families and the essential rebuilding and refurbishment of the hospital.
Every day, almost 600 seriously ill children from across the UK come to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for life-changing treatment from the hospital’s dedicated team of experts who specialise in some of the most rare and complex conditions.
This innovative fundraising campaign with Omaze will provide vital funds for GOSH Charity with a minimum donation of £100,000 guaranteed and a target donation of £500,000.
James Oakes SVP International at Omaze said: “We’re honoured to support GOSH Charity to help them reach a new audience to raise as much money as possible that will support their invaluable work helping seriously ill children.
“Omaze is a win-win for both charities and entrants. By offering an incredible prize like this spectacular supercar, we’re giving people like Andrew the chance to win, while also introducing charities to an audience they wouldn’t have access to otherwise.”
Louise Parkes, GOSH Charity’s Chief Executive, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Omaze on their Million Pound House Draw in Wimbledon. Despite all the challenges of the last year, our mission has stayed the same: to help transform the lives of the seriously ill children who arrive at GOSH every day needing life-saving care.
“The pandemic has had a significant impact on our ability to fundraise so, after seeing the success of Omaze’s partnerships with other charities, we are really excited to be involved in this brilliant partnership and hope we can raise as much money as possible to support the hospital’s most urgent needs.”
The Wimbledon House is the fifth Omaze Million Pound House Draw in the UK – the first saw Ian Garrick win a million-pound house in Cheadle Hulme. That campaign netted Teenage Cancer Trust £250,000, with Omaze committing a minimum of one million pounds to the charity over the next 3 years.
The second saw Marilyn Pratt win a stunning three-million-pound townhouse in London’s leafy Fulham. That campaign raised £1,000,000 for the British Heart Foundation.
The third saw Darren Wordon, an IT consultant from Bath, win a stunning £2.5M 7-bedroom property in the Cotswolds countryside. The campaign raised £500,000 for The Prince’s Trust.
Online entries for the fourth and fifth Omaze Million Pound House Draws are currently live. The draw for a spectacular coastal home in Devon raising money for The NSPCC’s Childline closes at midnight online on Sunday 26th September and via post on Tuesday 28th September 2021.
The draw for a grand London house in iconic Wimbledon raising money for GOSH Charity closes at midnight on Sunday 21st November.
