‘Drinks are on me!’ Barman’s £3.5m luxury mansion prize

A WELSH barman has won a £3.5m mansion in Cornwall and celebrated by declaring “drinks are on the house”.

- TAITE JOHNSON

Darren Summers, 50, was pouring pints during a busy shift at The Pencelli Hotel, Treorchy, when the Omaze team walked in to tell him he'd won a spectacular new clifftop home.

He is now the owner of a four-bedroom contemporary property set within an acre above Downderry Beach, complete with panoramic sea views, a heated outdoor swimming pool and a hot tub.

Darren, who bought his winning entry for just £20, manages a pub in his hometown in the Rhondda Fawr valley, while his wife of eight years, Rebecca, 36, works as a healthcare support assistant at the NHS.

On hearing the news, he said: “First thing I said was, ‘If anyone wants a pint, the drinks are literally on the house tonight”.

The luxurious property comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered, and Darren has also got £250,000 in cash to help him settle in. The couple have lived in their current three-bedroom home for three years.

Darren added: “I was in the middle of pouring pints during a busy shift behind the bar when Omaze rang. I eventually picked up but when they said I’d won a prize I thought, ‘Yeah right’, hung up and just carried on working.