Family pledges to rebuild ski shop wrecked by fire

Angela, Frank and Bradley Finch were left with only the clothes they were wearing on the evening of the fire

A family that lost everything in a fire has pledged to "rebuild" the business it has run in south east London for almost 80 years.

Finches Emporium on Perry Vale, Forest Hill, which has been developed into a ski and sports shop, has been trading since 1947.

The family was living above the shop and Bradley Finch had only minutes to escape with his daughter and dog when the fire broke out on 16 October.

Local businesses and the wider community have rallied in solidarity to raise money to help the Finch family.

The back of Finches Emporium, which is at the heart Perry Vale, a row of independent businesses in south east London

Mr Finch said he was "having food and watching cartoons" with his 10-year-old daughter when he was alerted to the fire, which he said overwhelmed the building in "less than 15 minutes".

He tried to battle the blaze, which had started accidentally in a storage area at the back of the shop, according to the London Fire Brigade (LFB).

The family had to escape across the flat roof at the front of the shop, with Mr Finch lowering his daughter and dog into the arms of people on the street.

His mother, Angela, and father, Frank, came home from a nearby pub and could only watch as 100 firefighters tried to extinguish the fire and prevent it spreading.

By the time it was under control, just before midnight, there was only a charred shell and wreckage left of the business.

Frank Finch watches on as customers are served in the "rough and ready" shop he and his family built, before the fire

Finches was founded by Frank's father in 1947, soon after he returned from serving in World War Two. He sold glass from a barrow and made enough money to buy the basement of the property.

It became a furniture and removals company until Frank, who was born in the flat upstairs, took over the family business and introduced his love of the outdoors.

It was a thriving sports shop for the next 20 years before specialising in ski and snowboard equipment to adapt to the increasingly competitive market.

Bradley said: "I used to play hide and seek in the shop. That was where me and my friends used to play tag. If I had sleepovers at my house, everyone played in the shop."

"It was the coolest playground in the world. It was everything."

The family is determined to restore the business for future generations

Angela said she has received messages of support from all over the world, adding the local community "has cried more than me".

Other local businesses have shown their support - Italian restaurant, Piazza della Cucina has a collection box for donations, Olives and More, a deli on the same street, is selling raffle tickets to win a hamper, and an online fundraiser has raised more than £15,000.

Angela said she is determined to pass Finches Emporium onto the next generation of the family.

She said: "We have to rebuild. We'd just got it how we want. We'll rebuild.

"It might be smaller, it might take us years to do it. But we want there to be a Finch in Perry Vale forever."