Cornwall mum and six children lose everything in house fire just days before Christmas
Local crisis response charity, The Sparkle Foundation UK, has launched an appeal
Last updated 20th Dec 2021
An appeal has been launched to help the Cornish family who have lost everything in a devastating house fire just days before Christmas.
A mum managed to get her six children and two dogs to safety this weekend, but they escaped with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
The blaze broke out at Ruan Minor on the Lizard on Saturday night, scrambling crews from across west Cornwall.
Firefighters from Mullion and Helston were the first to arrive, before calling in back-up from St Keverne, Falmouth and Tolvaddon.
The three-storey property is completely gutted and the family, the youngest of whom is just one, have lost everything.
Now local crisis response charity, The Sparkle Foundation UK, has launched an appeal to support them.
"The inside of the house is absolutely devastated"
Leigh Yates from The Sparkle Foundation UK says the woman's aunty called to tell her what had happened.
She said: "By the time they got there, literally ten minutes after the fire brigade had been called, it had been burnt to the ground.
"What's really sad is that the bottom of the house looks intact but its not.
"It's very deceptive of what's left because the inside is absolutely devastated.
"Sadly you can see in the window the decoration saying Merry Christmas still hanging up and it's just really not a Merry Christmas".
Leigh went on to praise the mum, describing her as a lioness: "She said her instincts as a mum just kicked in - get her kids to safety - and that's what she did. She got her kids to safety straight away and she could barely see because of all the smoke.
"For someone who's in such a devastating and unlucky situation, today she also feels like the luckiest women alive because she has her kids. And they're alive and they're well. They're traumatised but they're alive".
Posting on The Sparkle Foundation UK's Facebook page, Leigh said: "They are safe but have lost everything.
"They watched as their home was ravaged by the fire in just the clothes on their back. They are completely traumatised
"They are going to need a great deal of support to re build their lives.
"We are appealing for financial support for them. Thankfully they are all safe and survived but they have no home and the fire destroyed everything
"I don't know how they will come to terms with this but I know we can help.
"The Sparkle Foundation and The Sparkle Academy UK will help them with your support, please give what you can.
"We will update our web pages for goods needed in due course as they are homeless at the moment.
"I can't imagine what they are going through".
Donations are being accepted via text and details can be found on The Sparkle Foundation UK Facebook page.