Telford couple 'still in shock' after scooping £3 million Lake Windermere home

Catherine Carwardine, 59 and husband Chris won the Million Pound House Draw competition after purchasing the ticket on Valentine's Day and at the same time helped to raise £1m for Alzhemier's Research UK.

It is a double celebration for the couple, who celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this year, and they plan to 'spend plenty of time' at the luxury property in Windermere, which features stunning views of the lake itself, cosy log fires, a cinema room, sauna, steam room, state-of-the-art gym, staggered gardens and a workshop.

Catherine bought her winning entry on Valentine’s Day, using a promo code to give her 120 entries for just £20. As well as winning the house she has won £20,000 in cash. They were already on holiday in Italy when they learned of their win and plan to use the cash for travel.

But as well as spending time in the Windermere property, she and Chris are also looking to rent it out for part of the year and use it as an investment for their children, three of whom - John, Charlotte and Mya still live at home.

Catherine, a former nurse who now works in the IT department at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, said: "It needs to be looked after properly because it is a pristine property and if you are renting it out it needs to be in perfect condition.

"The kids are already planning holidays there and it is such a beautiful location and property, it would be a shame not to spend some time there as a family.

"We have quite a big family apart from the immediate ones, so there's going to be no shortage of people wanting to go there."

And she says having worked in the NHS for 40 years she has no plans to give up her job which she loves.

"I work part time now two days a week but I love the job. Working part time will give me the chance to deal with managing the new house, although a week on from winning it is still like a dream when I look at it, so we will have to discuss definite plans in the coming weeks."