A woman with an 11-year-old son has finally been able to purchase her own home after years of living in rented accommodation, all thanks to an online prize raffle she entered on a whim.
Jade Pilgrim, who hails from west London, was placed in emergency council housing with her son after her previous landlord decided to reclaim their rental property.
Fearing that her family might never secure a permanent home, Jade had resigned herself to merely dreaming of breaking into the UK’s highly competitive housing market.
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Then, a friend suggested she enter an online competition hosted by Tramway Path.
Initially skeptical about her odds of winning, the 30-year-old design and refurbishment coordinator decided to take a chance and bought a £5 ticket.
To her amazement, she received a call from Jason, Will, and Daniel Twenefour, the three brothers who run Tramway Path, informing her that she had won.
The prize? A staggering £500,000 to purchase a property without a mortgage.
Jade exclaimed, “My life has been transformed forever.
“This has given me everything I’ve prayed for—freedom, living life on my own terms, everything I’ve ever wanted.
“The moment I got off the call [telling me I’d won], I leaped out of my car and started screaming on the side of the road.
“My partner, who was sitting beside me at the time, was completely stunned.
“I hadn’t even mentioned to him that I’d entered the competition because I didn’t think anything would come of it.
“Once I managed to calm down, I called my mum.
“At first, she thought it was a prank, but when she realized it was real, she started screaming with me on the phone.”
The single mother, who first received the incredible news on April 25th this year, has since finalized the purchase of a new home.
Jade, who previously lived in west London with her son and partner, is now the proud owner of a two-bedroom house in Raynes Park, with enough space to add two additional bedrooms.
Jade shared, “It has always been my dream to give my son a home of his own, but I never imagined I’d achieve it so soon.
“My friend told me about these three brothers who run house raffles for just £5.
“I’d never entered anything like this before, but I thought, why not give it a try?
“I’ve been renting for such a long time and didn’t know when I’d finally be able to buy a property—I assumed it would be many more years down the line.”
Tramway Path has a history of running similar competitions, having organized 11 so far, offering cash prizes or even homes to help people get on the property ladder.
Earlier this year, the company also helped single mother Angelika Wisniewska acquire a five-bedroom house mortgage-free after she won the £500,000 grand prize.
Angelika, who had bought a £5 ticket and was living in a council house with her two children at the time, remarked, “I’ve never won anything before—maybe a pound on a scratch card!”
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