Campaign to rebuild fire-ravaged firm
The fire completely destroyed the Old Woodworks in Hastings
At a glance
A campaign is under way to raise funds for a business destroyed by fire
About £7,000 has been raised in two days after the blaze at the Old Wooodworks in Hastings
Its owner lost £200,000 of stock and machinery
- Published
A fundraising campaign for a business destroyed by fire has raised more than £7,000 in just two days.
The Old Woodworks, a company making furniture out of reclaimed wood in Hastings, East Sussex, caught fire last week.
Owner Leighton Goobie lost all his fixtures, fittings, machinery and stock worth about £200,000.
Mr Goobie said he was "overwhelmed by how people had offered to help me".
The blaze had broken out around midday last Thursday and was caused by an extraction unit catching fire, Mr Goobie said.
It had taken eight firefighters 10 hours to extinguish the flames, he added.
Mr Goobie said: "I was in tears. This business meant everything to me.
"It's my life, my passion. It's everything I've ever wanted to do."
Owner Leighton Goobie lost £200,000 of stock and machinery
Lucy Gastall, who runs The Yard complex where the fire broke out, started the fundraising campaign for the destroyed business.
She said: "When somebody needs help you want to give.
"Leighton is such a hard-worker and an asset to our community of small businesses."
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