The Pavers Foundation has donated £3,000 to support the displaced residents of Beechmere Retirement Home in Crewe, Cheshire, which was tragically destroyed during a fire on 7th August 2019. Anita Paley, employee at Pavers in Bridgemere submitted a grant application to support the residents, many of whom are Pavers customers.
The fire torched the entire retirement complex to the ground, displacing nearly 150 elderly, disabled and vulnerable residents from their homes. Miraculously there were no fatalities but the residents escaped with nothing more intact than their lives and the clothes on their backs. The residents went to live in other homes in the area or with relatives, or were allocated temporary accommodation at local care facilities.
The building, along with its fixtures and fittings was covered by insurance, however unfortunately a large number of residents did not have insurance for the contents of their homes and therefore were unable to access financial assistance for the goods that were lost.
Anita Paley said:
“These residents lived in independent living apartments, and when the fire took hold of the building, they sequentially lost everything from their home to all of their personal belongings.”
Anita Paley, employee at Pavers Shoes
Since the fire, the local community rallied together to support the Beechmere residents. Due to the sheer number of donations both locally and online, Crewe Town Council acted as a focal point for the Beechmere Appeal Fund. Anita applied for the support from the Pavers Foundation because she felt it was her moral duty to support her local community.
“I could not comprehend how devastating that must have been, and so I wanted to help as much as I could. My family donated small items to the local collection centre, and at the time I felt I needed to do more. Other local companies were raising funds for the residents which is why I considered asking the Pavers Foundation for help. Many of these people were, and are, customers of the store. I am delighted that the Pavers Foundation has donated £3,000 which will go towards the larger collection, and it will be donated equally to each resident for their personal use.”
Anita Paley, employee at Pavers Shoes
The fundraiser closed on 31st January 2020 and, including the £3,000 donation from the Pavers Foundation, raised a staggering £71,282. Crewe Town Council has ensured that this has been shared equally between residents.
Crewe Town Mayor, Benn Minshall had the following to say in response to the donation:
“Nobody will ever be able to truly forget what happened, nor will the funds which have been raised be able to buy that peace of mind, but we do sincerely hope that it has brought some measure of comfort to those who have been affected - the residents, their family, their friends and their loved ones.
On a personal note, I wish to once again express heartfelt gratitude to the Crewe community for all of the compassion, generosity and love which is continually being demonstrated even to this day. A town is only as good as its people, and we truly are a town full of amazing people.”
Crewe Town Mayor, Benn Minshall
This donation from the Pavers Foundation has enabled people to begin rebuilding their lives after losing everything.
