Fun day for villagers 'who lost everything' in fire

David Ruffles has been "blown away" by the support shown by the community

A fundraising event will take place to help villagers "get back on their feet" after they "lost everything" when their homes went up in flames.

A row of five cottages were destroyed during a fire that saw 16 crews sent to Bardwell in Suffolk on Saturday, 19 April.

The community has since raised £26,000 for the residents who were left homeless, with a fun day taking place this Saturday at the Dun Cow pub to generate more funds.

"There's something for all ages, and it's really to help them get some normality back in their lives," said David Ruffles, chairman of Bardwell Parish Council.

"These families pretty much lost everything and some of them walked away from this with just the clothes they were wearing.

"There's things that money can't buy and they have got to rebuild their houses, so it is very likely they will never recover or get back to the financial position they were in."

A row of terraced cottages on Low Street were destroyed

The event, which is running from 13:00 BST until late, will include live music, dancing, a barbecue, raffle, tractor rides, disco, and "much more".

There will be an auction offering "no end of assortment of prizes" donated by other residents and businesses, including theatre tickets and a helicopter ride.

A live online auction is also ongoing, giving bidders the chance to win two tickets for the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

Homeowners in Bardwell face having to rebuild their cottages

Since the fire destroyed the roofs and first floors of the homes, thousands has been raised, something Mr Ruffles said had "taken my breath away".

"The generosity, love and warmth the community has given these poor people has just been overwhelming and I don't think anyone can believe it," he said.

"Being in a village that cares has been a small comfort [to the fire victims] because they will never get back to where they were."