Ex-Paratrooper, 54, wins stunning £4.5m Norfolk home complete with its own guest cabin after entering £10 Omaze prize draw – and says he’ll celebrate by getting a ‘few rounds’ in at his local boozer

An ex-Paratrooper and former skydiver has won a stunning £4.5million coastal home in Norfolk and £100,000 in cash after entering the £10 Omaze prize draw. 

Daren Bell, 54, has scooped an incredible property complete with swimming pool and coastal views of the idyllic Blakeney salt marshes and harbour.

He says his biggest prize until now was a £5 bottle of wine in a pub quiz. 

And the first thing he did after finding out the latest news was to head straight to the pub to celebrate.

Daren, from Bournemouth, Dorset, added: ‘When I got the knock on the door to tell me I’d won the house in Norfolk I was gobsmacked, it’s not your average Friday night you find out you’ve just won a £4.5m house!

‘The first thing I did was head straight to the local pub to celebrate, and of course I got a few rounds in!

Ex-Paratrooper Daren Bell has won a £4.5m coastal house in Norfolk in the latest Omaze Million Pound Prize Draw

The property comes complete with swimming pool and coastal views of the idyllic Blakeney salt marshes and harbour

Daren will be able to enjoy coastal views of the idyllic Blakeney salt marshes and harbour

A sleek and modern kitchen inside the stunning Norfolk property 

The front of the property has a large landscaped decking area that links directly to the main part of the house – the open plan kitchen, living and dining area, complete with sliding glazed doors on each side

‘The best thing I’d ever won before this was a £5 bottle of wine in a pub quiz that cost me £10 to enter. I went for a nicer drop to celebrate this win with that’s for sure!’

He added: ‘When I woke up on Saturday I thought I must’ve eaten too much strong cheese and dreamt the whole thing, but now I’ve seen the house it’s finally starting to sink in.’

The house comes mortgage free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. Daren is free to either live in the incredible house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it to become a cash multi-millionaire.

If he decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long term annual rental value of around £60,000.

Daren, whose winning entry came from his £10 a month Omaze subscription, is originally from Watford but moved to Bournemouth 24 years ago, where he lives with his four cats – and one nervous goldfish – who he says will have ‘more than enough room’ in their new home.

He served in the Parachute Regiment for four years before leaving to take up sports parachuting and skydiving instructing for 24 years, where he amassed an impressive 2,222 jumps.

He now works for a facilities management company based in London.

Daren, whose winning entry came from his £10 a month Omaze subscription, is originally from Watford but moved to Bournemouth 24 years ago

Daren’s new home consists of a contemporary main house with five-bedrooms

Daren’s new home consists of a contemporary main house with five-bedrooms, as well as an additional four-bedroom guest cabin (pictured)

Daren said: ‘The house is magnificent, I was half expecting the palm trees to fold down and see Thunderbird 2 to pop out from under the swimming pool!

‘It’s even nicer in real life and I’ve always loved Norfolk – I actually skydived over the area where the house is 20 years ago – the birds eye view was good, but the views from the balconies are even better.

‘I work in facilities management so I spend a lot of time in multi-million pound buildings and now I own one – it’s just mind boggling.

‘I think I’m going to move in and enjoy it for a bit, but I may decide to rent it out or I might just sell up and bank the cash. Whatever I decide to do, it’s totally life changing and the best dilemma I’ve ever had!’

As well as making Daren a multimillionaire, the Omaze charity prize draw has also raised £1.4million for the RNLI.

Daren added: ‘Entering any competition is a bit of a leap of faith, but as a skydiver I’m used to that.

A wellbeing area provides a steam room, yoga space (pictured) and gym with ‘Technogym’

Daren said: ‘The house is magnificent, I was half expecting the palm trees to fold down and see Thunderbird 2 to pop out from under the swimming pool!’

‘Even if I hadn’t won, I was happy knowing I was supporting a worthy cause. I’m so chuffed that the money raised from this Omaze draw is going to help the RNLI – I live nearby an RNLI station in Bournemouth so appreciate the lifesaving work they do.’

Daren’s new home consists of a contemporary main house with five-bedrooms, as well as an additional four-bedroom guest cabin and standalone home office, with entertaining spaces that incorporate the spectacular scenery surrounding the house.

The house has striking modern architecture, meticulously designed to celebrate the nearby coastline through its use of floor to ceiling feature windows that perfectly frame beautiful coastal views, which can also be admired from several balconies and terraces throughout the property.

The front of the property has a large landscaped decking area that links directly to the main part of the house – the open plan kitchen, living and dining area, complete with sliding glazed doors on each side.

When opened they create a continuation of space from the swimming pool courtyard, through the house and onto an outside terrace and dining area that overlooks the North Norfolk coastline.

One of the bedrooms in the cabin – with incredible views 

The lounge, set between the ground and first floor, has a large framed view out to the North Sea. While the principal bedroom has twin dressing areas and bathrooms, the first floor also has three further double bedrooms with en suites and a balcony.

A wellbeing area provides a steam room, yoga space and gym with ‘Technogym’ equipment including a treadmill, weights system and Peloton exercise bike. The cinema room has been built in the ‘Everyman’ mould with acoustic walls, doors and ceiling.

The guest cabin, which is attached to the main house, gives friends and family their own private quarters, with a further four en-suite double bedrooms and the principal bedroom providing views over to the village and prominent local church.

All rooms have direct access to the private and enclosed gardens, with a terraced entertaining area complete with kiln fireplace.

The gym with ‘Technogym’ equipment including a treadmill, weights system and Peloton exercise bike

The cinema room has been built in the ‘Everyman’ mould with acoustic walls, doors and ceiling.

A heated swimming pool, with the south to south-west aspect, provides the ideal setting for outside enjoyment. There is a raised decking area and outdoor kitchen with steps down to paved spaces that surround the house.

The property also has a stand-alone studio building – The Hub – at its southernmost point. It is accessed through landscaped gardens of nepeta and tall grasses, with a wildlife pond which leads to glazed doors into an open plan area, perfect for use as an office space.

With a sitting area, meeting area and desk space, this is the ideal work from home setup, complete with a kitchen, shower room and a further room that can be used for storage.

An expanse of lawn sweeps away from the house, with wildflower areas, tall grass and clipped hedging providing horticultural form all year round. Within the grounds is a kitchen garden, ornamental pond and easily maintained private gardens.

The house is situated close to Blakeney – a quintessential coastal village, with pretty flint cottages lining narrow streets leading down to the charming quay. The village has excellent pubs including The White Horse and Kings Arms, a thriving delicatessen, art galleries, The Moorings fish restaurant, the renowned Blakeney Hotel and the convenience of a village store.

The picturesque market town of Holt is just over four miles away and is renowned for its boutique shopping, Byford’s delicatessen, good restaurants, pubs and further specialist or everyday shopping.

The master bedroom with a four poster bed and idyllic views

The £1.4million raised for the RNLI in just six weeks will help the charity continue its lifesaving work. The RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews provide a 24-hour rescue service in the UK and Ireland and their seasonal lifeguards look after people on busy beaches.

The donation from Omaze could enable the RNLI to train 1,000 new lifeboat crew to save lives at sea.

Ross Barraclough, RNLI Head of Region, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted by the £1.4 million raised by the Omaze Norfolk House Draw. It is a fantastic amount of money which will allow us to continue saving lives at sea.

‘The money will support our volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards with the training, kit and equipment they need to rescue those in trouble in the water. It will also allow us to continue spreading our vital water safety messages to the public.

‘We’re incredibly grateful to the Omaze community for supporting this campaign—every single person who bought a ticket is a lifesaver too.’

James Oakes from Omaze, said: ‘We’re thrilled that Daren has won this beautiful house in Norfolk, whilst also contributing to the £1,400,000 raised for the RNLI in the process.

‘Omaze is a win-win for both charities and entrants. By offering incredible prizes, like this stunning house in Norfolk, we give people the chance to win the amazing houses, whilst also introducing charities to audiences they wouldn’t usually be able to reach. We’re incredibly proud that the Omaze community has already raised almost £19,000,000 for good causes across the UK.’