Online fundraising platform Omaze is donating £25,000 to the Cornwall Rural Housing Association.

Omaze, which runs regular Million Pound House Draws and originated in the US, has made the donation as a way of supporting the area and extending the charitable work that it does across the UK.

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The £3m Cornwall house recently featured as one of Omaze’s Million Pound House Draws. (Omaze)

The Cornwall Rural Housing Association (CRHA) provides a mix of affordable and social rental homes as well as providing shared ownership opportunities for local people.

The £25,000 donation will allow CRHA to bring on a full-business administrator, providing a direct contact for tenants and liaising with contractors.

Martha Grayston, 21, from Bodmin, has been in the role part-time for the past four months, and the donation will mean that she can take on the full-time job, as well as expanding her role to work in housing management.

David Bolton, Chief Executive of CRHA, said: “Martha has only been with CRHA for about four months - yet has made a huge impression on the whole team. This donation means we can secure her role at full time hours for the next two years.

“As a people focused business, our people are absolutely at the heart of our organisation. Being able to invest in local talent such as Martha is so important for our future growth in supporting people to find an affordable home in Cornwall.”

Martha added: “It’s an amazing opportunity. I never thought I’d work in this sort of role. I’ve enjoyed the part-time role, but I’m really looking forward to more responsibility. We are buying a house and this is great timing as we get ready to set up our home for our family.

“We see a lot in the news about what’s wrong with social housing. I’m proud to be doing my bit to make sure people have somewhere nice to live and a place to call home.”

With its house draws and other ventures internationally, Omaze says it has raised more than £115m for charities across the world, and has focused its attentions on Cornwall, with a draw having just closed for a North Cornwall home.

James Oakes, Chief International Officer at Omaze, said: “We explored the potential for Omaze to help out with a local cause and with MP Scott Mann’s invaluable on the ground insight, immediately zeroed in on the CRHA and the work they do. We are delighted to be supporting the next stage in Martha’s career and the positive impact her permanent role will have at the CRHA and on local people in the area.”

The Cornwall draw was for a £3,000,000 home, with entries raising money for Blood Cancer UK.

The winners are expected to be announced imminently, and in the meantime, entries have opened for a new house in Kent.