Retired Herefordshire business man Mel Yates is raffling his beautiful £700,000 Gorsley home to raise money for two charities, including one that nursed his wife through her final days.

Tessa, Mr Yates's wife of 30 years, lost her prolonged battle with cancer last year.

In her final months, "the Marie Curie nurses were like angels", Mr Yates told the Ross Gazette. "They were incredible people, and looked after Tessa to the very end. Even now, they still call to see how I am. It would be fantastic to raise a lot of money for them."

Mr Yates is keen to point out that the raffle is not being held for his personal gain, but to raise money for Marie Curie and the Injured Jockeys Fund, both dear to him and his wife.

His loss has led him to seek perspective in his life, and, as he says, "I am comfortable financially, and not motivated by profit. I have lost the love of my life. The house is academic."

Speaking to the Gazette, Ian Fraser, Marie Curie's head of fundraising in Wales and the West, said: "[We] are very pleased Mel is raising funds in aid of the charity by using his house in the manner. We wish him well, and look forward to receiving the generous donation he has promised us."

However, there are much easier ways to raise money than by raffling your home. Mr Yates has had to jump through many hoops to get this far. He has spent many months building a raffle website to comply with the Gambling Commission's guidelines.

Tickets for Mr Yates's raffle cost £25 each, and must be bought on his website. For every ticket sold, a donation of £1 will be earmarked for the charities.

All money from ticket sales will be held in a bank account until the raffle on December 31st, and Mr Yates will have no access to any of it. There will be no deductions by the promoters for expenses.

Mr Yates has set a sale target of 35,000 tickets, but in the event that fewer tickets are sold, the winner will walk away with the accumulated sum of cash – less the sum earmarked for the charities – instead of the house.

If more than 35,000 tickets are sold, all money raised by the extra sales will go to the charities' share of the cash.

Also included in the raffle is Mr Yates's £48,000 Mercedes silver estate car, and a ride-on lawn mower.

Any doubts about the raffle should be dispelled by the story of a similar competition in Devon that inspired Mr Yates.

A couple in Devon raffled their £1,000,000 property several years ago. All the tickets were sold, and the winning number was bought by a young German, who now lives happily in the house.

For more information about Mel Yates's raffle, visit www.

winourprize.com.