Fire hit family thank Camber community for their support
Camber fire
A CAMBER family whose home was destroyed by fire have praised the local community for their support.
At just before 11pm on Saturday September 1, patrolling police officers noticed a fire taking hold of a property in The Suttons.
They rushed to aid those inside and residents in nearby properties, ensuring all were able to escape safely and called for the Fire and Rescue Service who were quickly on scene dealing with the incident.
Richard Cowan and his family were in the process of renovating their home when the fire took place, starting in a shed and spreading to the house.
Two fire engines from Rye and engines from Broad Oak and the Ridge, at Hastings, tackled the fire.
Following the blaze, the family were visited by local PCSO Dan Bevan and received support from the entire community.
Mr Cowan said: “We were overwhelmed by the support of the local community both immediately after the fire and over the two weeks since.
“We had come to know our ‘local bobby’ PCSO Dan Bevan from previous visits but did not understand the extent that he was knitted into the community.
“Dan’s gentle interventions prompted kind offers of temporary accommodation from Andrew Cressey at Camber Sands Park Resorts and numerous other kindnesses.
“We would also like to give special thanks to Julie O’Shaughnessy, Marilyn Sawyer, Judith Anthony and Larri Hayhurst for their tireless efforts to find us longer term temporary accommodation and for surrounding us with love and a laundry service.
“We have only been living in Camber for two years but already feel more a part of the local community than at our last home where we lived for 20 years.”
PCSO Dan Bevan said: “I’d like to thank Mr Cowan for his kind words.
“The Camber community and I will obviously continue to offer any support we can.
“Being part of the communities I serve and supporting residents when incidents like this occur is such a big and important part of the Neighbourhood Policing Team’s work and being ‘knitted into the community’ is exactly what we are here for.”
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Weather for St Leonards-on-Sea
Thursday 23 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 4 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: West
