Wexford family raffling their stunning home give update on ‘unreal support’ they have received

The Wexford couple who are selling their stunning home using the unusual method of placing it as a raffle prize have given an update to thank people for their ‘unreal support’.

Jamie and Mairead Keane are selling their home in Campile, Co Wexford before they look for a bigger place as they already have three children – Kyle, Max and Ryan – and are expecting their fourth.

Tickets cost €11 and the lucky winner will become the mortgage-free owner of the stunning bungalow with four bedrooms, one en-suite, a walk-in wardrobe and spacious living room and kitchen.

The Couple have also taken in Mairead’s seven-year-old brother Christopher after their father passed away from cancer in 2020, a year after Chris’ mother had died.

Christopher and Kyle are both autistic and the Keane family want to move somewhere with more space to suit the needs of the two boys.

Jamie told the Irish Mirror: “We currently run a business from home and have three kids but are expecting number four very soon.

“The past year has been very tough, Mairead’s dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer in June 2020 and passed away very soon after in August due to the disease leaving behind a seven-year-old Christopher.

“Christopher sadly lost his Mam last October 2019 to sepsis thus leaving him orphaned.

“He is so kindhearted and loveable. He is only seven years old and already he has gone through a huge amount of grief not once but twice in the past two years to the most important people in his life his Mam and Dad.

“For a seven-year-old this has to be the hardest thing to go through at such a young age.

“Chris has Autism so for him to understand what is going on is a challenge but to understand why his Mam and Dad had to go away is beyond his level.

“We as a family decided the best thing for Christopher would be to have him move in with us so he could continue in his school nearby. Losing so much in such a short period of time has been very hard on him and we didn’t want any more disturbances in his life as he really loves going to school there.”

They have decided to raffle their home at raffal.com, with 5% of the proceeds going to the Cottage Autism Network.

Now Mairead has told the Irish Mirror: “It’s been great, we’ve had unreal support. We’ve sold 28,500 tickets and having RTE come down to promote the campaign was great and very surreal. After they visited, it crashed the website because people were trying to get on and buy tickets! We’re hoping to sell out the 40,000 and that’s our goal, to raise the funds for CAN (Cottage Autism Network) as well- that €22,000 will be a great support to help the families in Wexford.

“Thank you so much for all the help and ticket sales that we’ve had so far. Even if people just keep sharing news of the raffle, that’s something that’s really appreciated by the whole family. I know that people are probably sick of seeing our faces but it really means the world to us.”

The home is located in Campile, whichis close to some poular beaches, Hook Lighthouse, John F Kennedy Park, Dunbrody Abbey, and Ballinteskin Golf course.

The towns of Wexford and New Ross are nearby and the city of Waterford is a 20-minute drive away.

Click here if you would like to enter

Take a look at the pictures below.