'So shocked!': Wolverhampton support worker, 23, wins £500,000 dream home in raffle - with VIDEO
A 23-year-old support worker from Wolverhampton has won a £500,000 luxury home in a raffle.
Shanique Davis currently lives in a council flat in Heath Town – but not for much longer, as her name was picked from 317,167 entries to win the luxury Sedgley home, a £50,000 Range Rover and funds to pay her council tax for a year.
Shanique and her fiance Mark Myrie are getting married in December in Jamaica and were saving to buy a house of their own.
Her ticket was chosen in a random online generator in the Win Your Dream contest at the house, 53 Catholic Lane, at 4pm today.
As part of the draw, Steve Bull accepted a cheque for £2,500 on behalf of Promise Dreams and Vanessa Simmons, head of fundraising for Ronald McDonald House Charities (UK), was handed a cheque for £10,000.
Watch the moment the draw was made - and hear Shanique's reaction:
Shanique, a former St Matthias School student said: "I'm still in shock. It was just so surreal because I didn't expect it.
"Before 4pm I was sitting on the bed and thinking about it.
"I'm a bit religious, I'm a Christian, I said I hope the person that wins is deserves it, it doesn't have to be me as long as whoever needs it.
"I went to the living room and I saw that it was five past and I thought well someone has won it. I was so shocked that I won it.
Crying
"I told my mum and Mark and they were all crying.
"I probably bought about 18 tickets a month ago, the more I bought I thought maybe I'd have a chance.
"We're getting married in December in Jamaica, we were both born there but we grew up here and have been trying to save up for the wedding and a house.
"I'm not quite sure if we'll live in the house, but I am leaning more towards living in it."
Mike Chatha, from Win Your Dream, said: "We tested the generator then it was time to do the draw and the winner was Shanique Davis from Wolverhampton. She was absolutely over the moon, she said she never wins anything.
"About 95 or 96 per cent of the entries came from the Wolverhampton area.
"The money for the charities will make a massive difference, as in Covid times donations have been cut by 75 per cent as no one has been doing events, we felt it was important to help and so did the people buying the tickets."
Tickets to enter the raffle were £2.
It comes after Mike sold his own house in Shropshire via a similar raffle. It was won by 23-year-old Jemma Nicklin from Bilston who was at the time living with her parents.
Visit winyourdream.com to buy raffle tickets to win other homes.
