£11,000 raised in just 48 hours for Bagshot family who lost house in blaze
They have also received hundreds of donations of clothes, food and other items
A fundraiser for a family who lost their home in a huge fire in Bagshot has raised more than £11,000 in just 48 hours.
It broke out in Kepple Place on Tuesday afternoon (26 January) and while all three people living there managed to escape, they lost their dog in the blaze – which also destroyed their house and possessions.
They were taken in by neighbour Amy Elliot, who had become friends with the family after they had alerted her to a fire near her own home in August last year.
She said: “We had a garden fire and they actually caught the fire on their Ring doorbell at two in the morning and they’re the ones that woke us up and we’ve just been friends since.
“As soon as the fire struck, we just pulled them into our house.”
Amy, along with fellow neighbour Joanne Jones, also began raising money and appealing for donations to help the family in any way possible.
Since then £11,000 has been raised and hundreds of donations have been received including clothes, food and toiletries, as well as laptops to allow the children to continue their remote learning.
Explaining the response from the family, Amy said: “So overwhelmed! When they left our house on Tuesday night (to stay with family) they were sort of panicking about what they were going to do for clothes, food, toiletries and stuff like that.
“Every donation that comes to my door I’m trying not to cry because I know how much they’re appreciating it”.
She added that any donations received above what is needed will be given to local charities and food banks.