Walsall groundworker becomes mortgage-free at 26 after £13.93 competition win

Edward Pomroy had never heard of the competition company before seeing the ad on October 28. On a whim, he decided to enter, buying seven tickets, his self-confessed lucky number, for a draw offering a four bedroom fully furnished home in Norfolk and a Range Rover Sport, with a £400,000 cash alternative.

Just hours later, his life changed. Pomroy was babysitting his nephew when he received the winning call and initially struggled to process the news.

“I was gobsmacked,” he said. “I couldn’t even get my words out. I just kept saying, ‘Jesus, oh my gosh.’”

So stunned was he that he declined a FaceTime call at first, worried about waking his sleeping nephew.

The following day brought another surreal moment, explaining to his boss why he needed time off work.

“I told him I’d won a competition,” Pomroy said. “He asked what I’d won, and when I said ‘a house and a car or £400K,’ he just laughed and called me a jammy sod.”

After visiting the Norfolk property and viewing the Range Rover, Pomroy opted for the cash prize, joking that while the house was stunning, “it was a bit far to take back to Walsall.”

His decision means he will now pay off his mortgage in full, becoming mortgage-free at the age of 26, an increasingly rare milestone for young homeowners.

“I just want a bit of security,” he said.

Pomroy also plans to share the win with his family, pledging to send each family member on their dream holiday. His nephews, he added, are “in for a mega Christmas.”

As the family headed out to celebrate with a meal, he joked: “I guess I’ll have to pick up the tab now, they know I’m rich!”

Pomroy created his account, bought his tickets and won the prize all on the same day, a sequence that 7Days Performance described as “extraordinary beginner’s luck.”

“Chuffed to bits” and still in disbelief, Pomroy said the experience had changed his outlook overnight.

“I nearly didn’t enter,” he said. “I’m glad I did.”