London woman wins £2m Omaze house on her birthday

Eliza Yahioglu was celebrating her birthday in Luxembourg when she was told she had won Omaze’s most recent ‘Million-Pound House Draw’.

The 56-year-old who has lived in the capital for almost 40 years, and in north London for the past decade, joked that her husband was “going to struggle to top this for my birthday next year”.

She will now receive the keys to a farmhouse near Harrogate, Yorkshire, worth almost £2 million, as well as £100,000 in cash.

Farmhouse near Harrogate in Yorkshire (Image: Omaze)

The latest Omaze draw raised almost £2 million for Blood Cancer UK in just six weeks.

An elated Eliza, who is originally from Yorkshire, said: “It was actually my birthday the day we found out I’d won – so we’d gone abroad to celebrate.

“We were out having drinks with friends when the doorbell app on my husband’s phone buzzed – I actually moaned at him for picking up the phone and being anti-social.”

She added: “Luckily our son was home to answer the door so he could confirm the good news to us, the whole thing was so bizarre it didn’t feel real. 

Eliza said: “I’ve lived in London for almost 40 years but I’m a proud Yorkshire lass at heart.

“We’d always dreamed of having a place in Yorkshire one day, close to what I still call home – now that dream has come true.”

Eliza, who has worked in the financial sector for more than three decades, and her husband Gokhan first met at Brunel University and recently celebrated 30 years of marriage.

She said: “We’re really pleased the money raised from this Omaze partnership is going to help Blood Cancer UK – my husband is a cancer research scientist, so we know just how vitally important research is in the battle against this disease.”

The three-bedroom farmhouse comes with a one-bedroom guest cottage, and offers extensive gardens and a raised terrace.

The three bedroom farmhouse comes with a guest cottage (Image: Omaze)

Helen Rowntree, chief executive of Blood Cancer UK, said: “We hear far too many heartbreaking experiences of people who have lost people they love to blood cancer, in fact it’s the UK’s third biggest cancer killer.

“But thanks to the tireless effort of researchers, the day we beat blood cancer is closer than ever.

“The money raised by the Omaze community will help develop research into more effective and potentially less harmful treatment particularly for younger people.

“Thank you to everyone who has supported the Omaze draw.”