It began in a blaze of publicity, offering lucky punters the chance to win a dream home - and donate to charity at the same time, writes MATT CHILDE.

It ended with more than 1,000 people out of pocket and not a penny going to good causes.

Housewife Grace Trehan urged people to send in a cheque for £105, plus 50 to 75 words saying why they would like to win her £600,000 Edwardian house in Woodstock Road, north Oxford.

In return for their investment, they got a better-than-the-football-pools chance of winning their dream home and the reassurance that £32,500 would be going to charity anyway.

"I suddenly realised it would be much quicker to sell a house of this value by running a competition which offered the chance of a lifetime to the lucky winner," boasted Mrs Trehan, who had lived in the 13-room house with her husband Sandy for four years before she launched the contest last summer.

"I volunteered my help and devised the contest - which is not a lottery nor a raffle, but a competition of skill - in the hope that some of my favourite charities can benefit."

To succeed, at least 6,500 people had to part with £105, knowing there was only a 6,500-1 chance of scooping the house. By Christmas, it was clear there were not going to be enough entries. But instead of refunding the money and scrapping the contest there and then, the organisers tried again.

The entry fee was slashed to £10, automatically making the competition more appealing to the man on the street, but also increasing the required number of entries ten-fold. No fewer than 60,000 people had to enter the competition before the new deadline, June 30.

Entrants were also told they would not get their money back if the contest did not go ahead, with all the money now destined for charity.

In a brief statement yesterday, the contest was declared void, with just 1,169 entries.

"I think the idea of getting 60,000 people to buy a ticket was beyond comprehension," said Harry St John, of Oxford property developers Cluttons.

"It was a bit like the lottery. But at least with the lottery you know a draw is going to take place."

He added: "For all the time the good lady has wasted, she could have sold her house six times over in the same time."

It was revealed last night that no money is left over from the cost of running the contest to donate anything to charity.

Mrs Trehan claimed her life had been threatened after concerns were raised about her competition in the Oxford Mail, and added: "The contest was totally destroyed by bad publicity."

WE ARE OUT OF POCKET

Grace and Sandy Trehan say they have been left £73,185 out of pocket by the competition to win Belmor House.

Total income was £11,690, raised from the £10 entry fees of the 1,690 people who entered. But the couple say that organising, running and promoting the competition cost them £84,875.

Under the heading 'promotion', they list £22,360 on entry forms and printing, £12,383 on delivery and postage, £13,203 on public relations, £11,446 on advertising and £2,338 on Internet costs.

They spent £1,386 on stationery, £4,125 on fax and phone bills, £320 on reference materials and £3,883 on mailing lists.

They also spent £13,406 on legal and professional fees and £21 on credit card charges.

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