Bloke who has solely ever received a lifeless goldfish baggage £4m mega-house

The property boasts a private lake, tennis court, library, outdoor pizza oven, and a separate two-bedroom cottage, and the life-changing win also comes with £250,000 in cash

An “unlucky” dad whose only memorable childhood prize was a dead goldfish has bagged a sprawling £4million country mansion. Malcolm Disson, 58, scooped the keys to a stunning Grade II-listed six-bedroom home in North Yorkshire after entering the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw for just £30.

The life-changing win also comes with £250,000 in cash, £155,000 worth of furnishings, and all stamp duty and legal fees covered. Before landing the jackpot, the dad-of-two admitted his track record with competitions was notoriously bleak.

“I’ve never really thought of myself as a lucky person,” said Malcolm, who lives in a semi-detached house in Newbury, Berkshire, with his border terrier, T-Bone. “For years, the only thing I’d ever won was a goldfish at Hampstead Heath fair – and when I opened the bag it was already dead! That set the tone for the next 46 years as I didn’t win a sausage after that.”

However, the dad to Lilly, 22, and Daisy, 18, had an inkling his fortunes were shifting just a fortnight ago after pocketing £8 on the lottery.

“I thought I’d peaked with that,” he joked. “I certainly didn’t expect to go all the way from a dead goldfish to a £4 million mansion with its own lake… full of fish that are alive and well!”

The grand reveal nearly went awry because Malcolm had recently moved house within his village and forgot to update his address. When the Omaze crew turned up outside his old home, they had to ring him at work to get directions to his new doorstep.

“I thought I might have won a car or something, so I was absolutely flabbergasted when I realised I’d won the actual house!” he said. The win even made him late for drinks with mates, though he happily picked up the bar tab to make up for it.

In 2004, Malcolm remortgaged his home to co-found The British Shop, a fine art and antiques shipping firm near Heathrow. He admitted the massive financial gamble “almost ruined” him during the first two years when he struggled to afford repayments.

Now, after spending decades shipping pricey art to mansions for wealthy clients, he owns a “Downton Abbey-style” estate of his own in the village of Little Ouseburn.

The property boasts a private lake, tennis court, library, outdoor pizza oven, and a separate two-bedroom cottage. It had never even occurred to Malcolm to visit Yorkshire before the win, and his mates have already nicknamed him the “Earl of Tetley”.

Whether he decides to move in, rent it out, or sell up to become a cash multi-millionaire, Malcolm plans to host a massive family Christmas there first.

The draw also raised £1million for Blood Cancer UK, alongside an additional £3.5million multi-year grant from Omaze to fund vital clinical trials.

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