A Dorset couple are holding a house raffle which offers entrants the chance to win an Italian villa worth £400,000 by purchasing a £25 ticket.

Anne-Marie and Jon Nurse have renovated the house in northern Tuscany and decided to hold a raffle to give one lucky entrant the chance to win the four bedroom home.

Anne-Marie, from Poole, said: "The main motivator for us is being able to help someone who cannot otherwise afford to buy a home in Italy.

"People are always saying to us that it would be amazing to have a house over there and we can give them the opportunity because there are lots of people that can't afford to buy a second home but they can afford a £25 ticket."

Participants can enter as many times as they like and the couple will sell no more than 20,000 tickets. This ensures that every entrant has at least a one in 20,000 chance of winning the prize.

Jon said: "This could be a truly life-changing opportunity to have your very own Tuscan retreat with a beautiful private pool – and it’s yours to do what you want with it."

The raffle has already started and will be open for five months or until the couple sell 20,000 tickets. Entrants from the UK, Australia, the United States and Chile have already bought tickets in the hope of winning the villa.

The couple, who are both property managers, will donate £50,000 to The Children's Society, a charity fighting against poverty and neglect for children in the UK. Anne-Marie said: "Everyone dreams of being able to give something back to society and we thought this would be an amazing way to support the charity."

Pippa Lock, from The Children's Society, said: "We're delighted Win Houses In Italy have chosen to support The Children's Society. All paid entries will help in our quest to reach £50,000, which will enable the charity to provide a lifeline to vulnerable young people across the country. Wishing you the best of luck when entering the draw!"

Entrants also have the opportunity to win £10,000. Each entrant will receive their own unique URL which their friends and family can use to purchase their own raffle tickets. When the raffle ends, the person whose URL has been used the most will win the money.

To enter the draw, visit www.winhousesinitaly.com