A young couple has shared the “surreal” experience of winning a bespoke houseboat worth £180,000, all thanks to a £12 raffle ticket.
The moment Louisa and Mike found out they won
Unable to afford a flat in London, Louisa, 25, and her partner Mike, 26, had been living on an old Dutch barge on the Thames for three years on a rolling contract.
When the barge was put on the market by the owner, they were painfully aware that their home could be taken away at any moment.
One day, while searching online for help fixing sewage and plumbing problems, Louisa spotted an Instagram ad that would later change her life.
She had stumbled upon an Instagram ad from Marwood Makes, a company that organises campervan and boat prize draws – offering a chance to win a houseboat.
“It wasn’t like those million-pound houses with pools that you see advertised by other companies,” Louisa said. “This was exactly what we needed and wanted in a home.”
The couple’s journey to boat living began when a friend tipped them off about a houseboat available for reduced rent while is was waiting for a buyer.
That chance discovery led to their first taste of life on the water, and they quickly fell in love with it, but they also knew it could end quite suddenly.
Despite not being regular competition entrants, Louisa described it as fate. ” I felt like it was meant to be,” she said. “I put the date of the live draw in my diary and told everyone at work that I’d be winning a boat. They all rolled their eyes.”
The pair bought three raffle tickets at £12 each and playfully predicted their imminent “win” to friends and colleagues. And their jesting soon turned into reality.
Recalling the moment they found out they had won, Louisa said: “When they read the numbers out during the live social media prize draw, I saw Mike’s face drop. I thought he was kidding at first, but then they read my name out.”
She continued, “We were so overjoyed as it dawned on us that we’d have a real home. It was incredibly emotional and felt surreal.
Their new home, lovingly named Winnie, has a spacious main bedroom, a secondary bedroom that doubles as an office, a bathroom, and an open-plan kitchen and living area.
And they now pay a fraction of their previous rent for a mooring in London, giving them the freedom to travel and explore.
Without this opportunity, they might have had to move back in with their parents or relocate outside the city, despite needing to stay in London for work. Thankfully, those concerns are now a thing of the past.
“Everyone deserves a home and the security of knowing you’re not paying outrageous amounts on rent,” Louisa emphasised.
After spending a year designing the boat alongside Mollie and Jason of Marwood Makes, Louisa and Mike moved onto Winnie last month.
“The process of working with the team was brilliant,” Louisa enthused. “It feels so surreal to be living here. I still have the notebooks full of sketches from planning this. I’m only 25, and getting to live in such a beautiful place feels crazy.”
The couple are quickly adapting to life on Winnie, with Louisa remarking that “Winter doesn’t feel as challenging as it was on our last boat.”
Their prize also included lessons on how to steer their boat, and the couple is already dreaming big for the future. Louisa shared their aspirations: “We’re thinking of taking the boat around the south of the UK this summer.
“Looking ahead, having a home where we’re not stressed about rent means we can save for other things—maybe even starting a family one day.”
