In the middle of a global disaster, we’ve had our own, personal disaster. Yesterday, 25th June 2020, we were hit with a flash flood, washing out the railway track, flooding the main house we use for care and completely devastating the annex that we call home.
Unbeknown to us, during 2020, a huge rock-fall in the hills behind the house caused a blockage in the stream, which built up a huge reservoir of water. The blockage suddenly cleared and a massive flood of water like a tsunami came racing down the hill and washed away the railway track bed, and the water - along with mud, rocks and other debris - came through the property at Kirsty's Kids causing extensive damage to the Trust House, the annex and the land.
Jan alerted the authorities, while John raced up on to the edge of the track to stop the train which would have derailed without his action, probably costing lives.
The flood has caused the Centre to be unable to accommodate any children, or any paying guests, as the damage made the house uninhabitable. We are having to sleep in the van (probably for months) as one of the gable walls of the annex was destroyed.
We had to clear the damage ourselves while waiting for the insurance company to decide if they would cover anything.
Thousands of gallons of water, destroying everything that we’ve worked so hard to build over these past ten years.
For every single day of lockdown, we’ve been doing everything we can to make a difference, continuing respite care for children with life-limiting illnesses, children with special needs and their families, and anyone struggling with anything from domestic abuse to disability.
It’s felt good to be able to continue providing a little ray of sunshine, while the clouds descended on our world.
But now, it feels like our world has fallen apart, just like it did 10 years ago when our beautiful Kirsty was taken from us.
Determined to make her memory really mean something, not just for us but for thousands of people who need help, we launched Kirsty’s Kids. Over the years, we’ve invested heavily – moving out of our house to ensure we can accommodate as many people as possible, building model railways, wood working sheds, a hydrotherapy suite, and buying equipment to make our little sanctuary the best and most therapeutic place possible.
And now, it’s been decimated.
If you know us, you’ll know it’s NEVER been about money. We don’t take a penny out of Kirsty’s Kids, which means that all donations go towards helping those who really need help.
But right now, if we’re to survive, if we’re to continue providing support in Kirsty’s memory, money is what we need.
Money for excavators, money to try and salvage as much of our buildings as we can, money to try and get us back up and running.
Right now, with our annex destroyed, we’re sleeping in the van, and hoping for a miracle. If you could be part of that miracle, we’d really appreciate it.
Every little helps, so if you’ve got anything spare, it’d be hugely appreciated. Click the link below to donate to our GoFundMe page.
Lots of love as always – stay safe. John & Jan https://www.gofundme.com/.../help-kirstys-kids-recover...
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