Thousands raised for families affected by fire

Those affected are said to be staying in temporary accommodation or with family

More than £2,000 has been raised to help 12 households affected by a fire which broke out at a block of flats.

No-one was injured in the fire in Lawnside Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire on Wednesday morning but some families had been forced to move to temporary accomodation.

Lisa Fairlie, director of housing operations at Platform Housing which manages the flats, said: "We are actively working with families that were affected by this event."

The town’s food bank on the Homend Trading Estate has been collecting and coordinating donations of food and toiletries.

A fundraiser created in response to the incident claimed: "Some lost everything."

A Herefordshire Council spokesperson said: "We are supporting Platform to find accommodation for those families affected."

Town resident Tori Huggins, who has been among those coordinating the response locally, said on social media it was a case of “community spirit at its best”.

She also thanked Tesco, One Stop and other individuals for donations of food, toiletries and other goods.

A special mention also went to Ledbury Rugby Football Club for "providing a hot meal, fresh fruit and ice creams so the families were able to have tea".

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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