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West View, Poringland neighbours remember heatwave fires
Friends and neighbours Shelley Cox and Lisa Gooderham are still rebuilding having lost their gardens, outbuildings and even some pets in the devasting fires that ripped through West View in Poringland last July.
The pair have slowly been trying to return their gardens to their former glory and have been grateful for donations made over the last year, but with prices being so high it’s not proving an easy process.
Shelley, 46, said: “It was the hottest day of the year, and we had curtains and doors closed to try to keep the heat out.
“We suddenly had someone banging on the door and it was the lady from number 11 telling us we needed to get out because our entire back garden was on fire.
“My husband was in his office in the outbuilding so I ran to get him, and I got my eldest son who was gaming upstairs, when I came back down the garden was on fire right up to the house, so we grabbed what we could and went to the community centre.”
READ MORE: Widow heartbroken after losing late husband’s possessions in heatwave fire
Lisa works for the parish council so was able to call ahead and get her boss to open the community centre ready to take people in.
She said: “I’d been sent home with heat stroke, so I wasn’t feeling well, but when I saw the fire, I ran out to save my chickens.”
Unfortunately, the fire was coming too fast, so Lisa instead had to get her dogs out and all her chickens died in the inferno.
She said: “Once my dogs were in the safe hands of my dad and other neighbours, we stood out the front, and the smoke was so thick I was panicking.
READ MORE: Man braves flames to save mother from Poringland fire
“It felt like you could not breathe.
“We lost so much and as traumatic as it was, we were so lucky to just lose our gardens and not our houses – not everyone was that lucky.”
Neighbours who had not made it to the community centre stayed behind and threw buckets over the flames reaching people’s homes while the fire brigade tackled the homes that were on fire.
Shelley said: “Everyone in our community did what they could, fighting the fire, alerting people, offering clothes, food, dog food, it was really quite incredible.”
When they were allowed back they found they’d lost freezers, sheds, outbuildings, plants, furniture, trees and much more.
And while donations helped them to replace some of the things, the pair are still trying to recreate the gardens that they once loved.
READ MORE: Neighbours walk through destruction of Poringland fire
Lisa said: “I have been lucky, I was gifted dog food and one of my neighbours built a temporary barrier so my dogs could go to the toilet.
“I have some more chickens, but I haven’t been able to replace the established plants.”
Shelley said: “My garden was like a cottage garden, lots of trees and a hedge with loads of lovely plants that we just haven’t been able to replace.”
Lisa added: “I hope to never have to see something that devastating again in my lifetime.”
They thanked every person that has been involved in rebuilding the community.
The pair are appealing for people or businesses to donate plants, shrubs, flowers, pots or anything they have available to help neighbours get their gardens back in shape ahead of the summer.”
Anyone wanting to donate can email [email protected] who can pass information to Shelley.
