Barman Wins £3.5m Cornwall Home and £250,000 Cash Prize

Barman Darren Summers won a £3.5m house in Cornwall and £250,000 cash after entering a competition for £20. Surprised by the prize, he celebrated by offering free drinks at his pub and plans to retire early.

Unexpected Prize Call

When busy barman Darren Summers received a phone call informing him he had won a prize, he initially dismissed it as a prank and hung up.

Omaze Darren Summers and wife Maria standing by the pool on their new beachside property in Cornwall — He hung up the phone when the caller tried to tell him he'd won a prize

Shortly after, a team from the competition company Omaze arrived at the pub where Darren was working in Tynewydd—a Welsh name meaning "new house"—to inform him that he had won a £3.5 million home.

Revealing the Prize

The Omaze team then took Darren to a nearby cricket pitch to show him a video of the four-bedroom property located on the Cornish coast, which was now his.

Omaze A large house by a beach in Cornwall. There are floor to ceiling windows, both upstairs and down. There is a pool at the front of the property — But it turned out he was now the owner of a £3.5m house in Cornwall

Returning to his shift, Darren announced to regular customers that drinks were "on the house" in celebration.

Details of the Prize

In addition to the property, which is set on an acre of grounds atop cliffs overlooking Downderry Beach, Darren also won £250,000 in cash.

The 50-year-old, who is also from Tynewydd, had purchased his winning entry for £20.

According to Omaze, the house features a heated outdoor pool and hot tub, and it could have a rental value ranging from £5,000 to £8,000 per month.

Darren’s Reaction

Darren recounted the moment he received the call:

"I was in the middle of pouring pints during a busy shift behind the bar when Omaze rang. I eventually picked up but when they said I'd won a prize I thought, 'Yeah right', hung up and just carried on working. Then my colleague said there was a film crew outside."

He then called his wife, Rebecca, whom he has been married to for eight years.

"She didn't believe me, she had no idea I'd even entered, so she was doubly surprised," Darren said.

He added that when he told his 36-year-old wife she was on speakerphone, she "almost needed bleeping."

Plans for the New Home

Darren described the house as:

"The house looks like somewhere a movie star would live, it's absolutely breathtaking."

He and Rebecca have always wanted to visit Cornwall but had never been before.

"We thought maybe we'd come here camping one day, but now we'll be staying in our very own mansion."

Celebration at the Pub

That night at the pub was far from ordinary.

"I sometimes get the odd half of beer bought for me, so a £3.5m house is definitely my biggest tip ever. First thing I said was, if anyone wants a pint, the drinks are literally on the house tonight!"