Gran 'to celebrate by watching Braveheart' after winning £4m Highlands mansion

AN 81-year-old who won a £4 million house in the Highlands has said she will celebrate by watching Braveheart.

Patricia Moule, from Southampton, won the Perthshire mansion in a prize draw run by Omaze – which runs raffles for million-pound properties and gives a portion of the proceeds to charity.

The draw for the house of the shores of Loch Rannoch had a guaranteed £1m for Alzheimer’s Research UK and was backed by Scottish star Brian Cox.

“I’m thrilled that Alzheimer’s Research UK is partnering with Omaze and the money raised will make a huge difference to their vital work. Together, we really can end the heartbreak of dementia,” the Succession star said when the draw was launched in February.

Succession star Brian Cox in an image released by Omaze at the start of the draw (Image: Supplied) Now, Moule, who entered the draw for £25, has been announced as the winner of the £4m mansion, which sits within the Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area.

The 81-year-old grandmother has also won £250,000 in cash, and £160k worth of furnishings inside the property.

The draw raised £3.9m for Alzheimer’s Research UK – which Cox called “fantastic”.

The prize house sits within the Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area (Image: Supplied) Moule said: “I was just getting ready to settle down with a cup of coffee and watch a bit of tele. Then, all of a sudden, I get a call, and the Omaze team turns up to tell me I’ve won a £4m house in the Scottish Highlands. I was absolutely overwhelmed!

“I made myself a nice gin and tonic to celebrate, but a stiff Scotch would’ve probably been more appropriate.

“Things like this just don’t happen to people like me, I never win anything, the best thing I’ve ever won before this was a doll when I was nine years old – this definitely tops that and was worth waiting 70 years for!”

Patricia Moule won the keys to the Scottish mansion (Image: Supplied) She added that she would watch Braveheart to celebrate, saying that the house’s setting looks like “something from a film”.

“The house is enormous, it might take me a week to look around the place,” Moule said.

“I think I’ll need a map! I can’t believe I’ve got a loch at the end of my garden, it’s just incredible. The scenery is spectacular. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in all my life.”

Moule said that she wished her late husband David, to whom she donated a kidney in 2012 to save his life, could have been around to share the win with her. He sadly passed away in 2019.

She said others in her family – like her daughter Sarah and granddaughter Louisa – could enjoy the house.

However, she said it would ultimately be put on the market.

James Oakes, president of Omaze, said: “Everyone at Omaze is elated that Patricia and her family have won this breathtaking house in Scotland, whilst also contributing to our huge raise for Alzheimer’s Research UK, who we’ve now raised a total of £8m for over three incredible partnerships.

“Omaze offers people the chance to win amazing houses, whilst also introducing charities to new audiences that they wouldn’t normally reach– it’s a real win-win for entrants and our charity partners. 

“We’re immensely proud that the Omaze Community has now raised over £85m for good causes across the UK.”

Hilary Evans-Newton, Alzheimer’s Research UK’s chief executive, said: “We are thrilled that the Omaze Million Pound House draw in Scotland raised an incredible amount of £3.9m for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

“The funds raised will support our Drug Discovery team – a dedicated group of researchers working to fast-track the search for life-changing new treatments for every form of dementia.

“Dementia remains the UK’s biggest killer. But there are still no treatments available on the NHS that can slow, stop or prevent it. But with the support of Omaze and everyone who entered the draw, we are changing that.”