Family made homeless on New Year’s Day by fire have found new home in St Ives

at St Ives is Jenny Edwards, rehomed after her house fire in Ramsey (Image: Archant)

Jenny Edwards and her three children were left with nothing after the fire broke out in the living room of their home in The Avenue at 5.30am.

The single mother-of-three and her friend Johnno O’Neill were awoken by a smoke alarm, fitted just weeks before the blaze and tried to find their friend Jodie Garratt, 21, who was also in the house.

The search at first proved unsuccessful but Mr O’Neill, 26, was persistent and re-entered the burning home and dragged Miss Garratt out.

Luckily, 28-year-old Miss Edwards’ children Dominic, seven, Summer, four, and 19-month-old Hollie were at her mum’s home in Woodhurst.

But the family’s possessions were destroyed and, with no insurance, they ended up in a hotel in Brampton as social landlords Luminus worked to find them a new home.

But thanks to the generosity of Hunts Post readers, Miss Edwards was inundated with offers of clothing, replacement white goods, and a sofa ready for the family to move into their new home in Green Leys, St Ives, on Monday.

An appeal was also launched on the Items for Sale in Huntingdon page on social network site Facebook.

Miss Edwards said: “It is simply amazing the support that people have given to me and I would like to say a big thank you to the people who have donated.

“I was given a sofa by the East Anglia Mobility Warehouse in March and Indesit in Peterborough has given me a new washing machine. Readers also donated a cot mattress but more importantly clothes and children’s toys, which we really needed.”

She added: “Our tenancy started on Monday, on Dominic’s birthday, so we’ve said he got a house as a present.”

Miss Edwards also thanked Luminus for housing her family within a month of the fire.