Mortgage shock for Chichester nurse

Finally convinced, she then went on to tell her husband, only to find he thought she said she owed £11,000 and could not quite understand how she had managed it.

In fact, Mrs Sogbesan was one of six regional winners in a NatWest prize draw across England, Scotland and Wales to have a mortgage paid for a year.

Regional director Kevin Guy presented her with a bunch of flowers and a cheque for £11,289.72 at the East Street branch last Wednesday.

Branch manager Mark Shuttleworth said: “We have never had a winner before. It was all I wanted, to make that telephone call. When I did, she didn’t believe me. I had to get her to come into the branch and when I told her again, it was so emotional.”

Mrs Sogbesan is a regular customer at the branch and well-known to the staff.

Stephanie Dickinson, local CEO South Downs, said: “Everyone at Chichester branch is delighted for Adeola. We know all of our customers would appreciate a helping hand with their mortgage and we are ecstatic that one of our local customers has won the prize.”

Mrs Sogbesan has been a nurse at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester since 2002, when she moved to the town.

She bought a house in to Winterbourne Road in 2006 and lives there with her husband Bolanle and their 19-year-old son, the last of her five children still living at home.

She said: “I didn’t believe it. When I told my husband, he thought I owed that much money. Is a said no, I won it.

“It is going to make a very big difference. I am thinking of retiring soon.

“I told my son when he finishes at college, I will not work any more. I keep thinking every day I just want to retire and then this came up.”

Mr Shuttleworth said the money would allow them to restructure the mortgage, saving even more money.

“Overall, it could eventually shave four or five years off the mortgage,” he added.

Mrs Sogbesan said they have a house back at home in Nigeria as well but she did not want to sell the Chichester home as she is used to it.

Her husband was an adjutant in Nigeria and supervised construction there. When they came to England, he worked as a security officer then did his masters at Bristol in computer design.

Mrs Sogbesan said she may consider renting out their Chichester house when she retires from the hospital.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1 – Make our website your homepage at www.chichester.co.uk

2 – Like our Facebook page at Chichester Observer Facebook

3 – Follow us on Twitter at @Chiobserver

4 – Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!

The Chichester Observer – always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.