Beachfront home raffled to aid marine conservation

A stunning beach house in the affluent blue-flagged area of Wittering, Sussex, which is being raffled off for just £2.50 a ticket, has partnered up with one of the UK’s leading marine conservation and campaigning charities, ‘Surfers Against Sewage’, according to Carve.

The partnership hopes to raise vital cash and awareness to the 8 million pieces of plastic that end up in our oceans every day.

Owners, two-time Olympian snowboarder Jan Michaelis and wife Alina, are enthusiastic surfers and passionate about marine conservation after experiencing pollution in the ocean first-hand. The announcement has been made during Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) Plastic Process campaign, which runs from the 5th September to the 18th October to highlight the explosion of plastic pollution from PPE on our beaches and rivers following lockdown.

It was during lockdown when the couple decided they would raffle their stunning £475,000 beach house with the hope of raising £50,000 as well as awareness for two charities that are close to their hearts, whilst giving someone the opportunity to live a mortgage-free idyllic beach life, reports Carve.

The three-bedroom property comes complete with an additional one-bedroom Airbnb cabin and is walking distance of the sandy West Wittering and East Head beach, graded among Britain’s most beautiful within a National Trust Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Not only will the lucky winner win a mortgage free beach-house and potential Airbnb business, but the couple are also paying the conveyancing fees up to a maximum of £1,500, Stamp Duty to a maximum of £15,000. As well as the first year of running expenses and council tax that is due after the date of completion, up to a maximum of £2,000.

The competition was launched on 6th August 2020 and runs until 6th February 2020. The couple need to sell 240,000 tickets to reach their target. Otherwise the winner will receive a cash prize instead while a proportional donation will be made to charity.

The money raised will help contribute towards initiatives Surfers Against Sewage runs, such as the Plastic Free school education programme, where it hopes to increase the volume of schools it serves over the next three years. As one of the largest networks of volunteers undertaking regular beach cleans in Europe, the money would also contribute to regular beach clean programmes as well as build up its Plastic Free Communities programme that works to rid communities from unnecessary single-use plastics.

Pete Lewis, Director of Fundraising at Surfers Against Sewage, says: “We’re delighted that Jan and Alina have chosen to support Surfers Against Sewage and our work protecting the UK’s marine environment. Their support will have a huge impact on our work around the UK.”

Speaking from the property, Michaelis says: “We love the sea and believe it’s important to protect it, not only for our own benefit but primarily because it is an essential component of our planet’s ecosystem. Surfer’s against Sewage are a community dedicated to the protection of oceans, waves, beaches and wildlife. Therefore, it was just natural for us to choose them as a charity that we want to support.”

Entries cost just £2.50 and people can buy their ticket here.

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