'Felt like fate' - I won £185k prize my dad always dreamed of after he died

Claire Carty, 47, who lives in Liverpool with her partner of 26 years, Stephen, 52, and their ten-year-old son Noah, said the win “felt like fate” and that the money and car - a Lotus Emira - was “a gift from Dad.”

Claire won her prize as part of her £15 monthly Omaze subscription. She never considered herself a particularly lucky person before her big win – saying the last thing she won was two bars of soap from another competition she used to enter.

The mum-of-one said: “Dad was a massive Lotus fan – his first ever car was a Lotus Cortina, and it was a huge part of my childhood. His hero was Jim Clark, so it was always his dream car.

“He actually managed to save up and buy a Lotus Cortina in the 70s, but the insurance firm he used got caught up in a scandal and went bust. Because of that – and with his young age and the car’s value – he just couldn’t get it insured again, so he had to sell it. He was devastated, and always dreamed of owning a Lotus again one day.

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“He talked about that car all his life – it even came up in his eulogy – so when I found out I’d won this, it honestly felt like fate.

“My brother bought him a replica model of it one Christmas, which now sits in my dad’s room.”

“Since finding out we’d won, I keep going in and saying thank you to the little Lotus – it’s silly, but it just feels like this win was from Dad. I’ve always said everything happens for a reason – and of all the months to win with Omaze, it was the month they were giving away a Lotus. It really does feel like it was meant to be.”

When Claire received an email stating she’d won the prize, her mum was convinced it all sounded “a bit too good to be true” but she eventually got a call from Omaze confirming the win was real.

Despite being a big fan of Lotus cars thanks to her dad, Claire said she plans to the Emira and bank the cash.

She said: “I loved taking it out for a spin with the Omaze Pro Driver Tess. It's incredible to drive - it's certainly faster than my old Ford Focus!

“The £100,000 and the money I’m getting from selling the car will also make a huge difference. I’ve already treated myself to a lovely BMW X3 M Sport – it's amazing and fits the whole family in very comfortably. I do a lot of miles for work, so it's really lovely to have something newer and reliable.”

The prize was part of the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Surrey – supporting Breast Cancer Now – the UK’s leading breast cancer research and support charity.