Hi, our names are Heather and Kirsty, and the evening of September 18th 2025, our elderly next door neighbour and very good friend Valerie was unfortunately and abruptly woken from her sleep and hurried outside her home due to a fire that had started on the edge of her property. The circumstances surrounding this fire were being treated as suspicious by local police. A man from our village was arrested and released on bail.

The fire service were thankfully very quick to respond to the scene and as a result the fire was put out before it entered the inside of Valeries home. However, the outside of her home has an extensive amount of damage.

She was left without electricity for 5 days due to the impact of the fire which has resulted in the loss of 3 chest freezers worth of food she had bought and stocked.

Her garden is no longer safe and secure for her dog Skye who she loves very much. The hedge that once secured the side of her property has completely burnt and she is now left with all the damaged stumps, she also no longer has a gate securing her garden at the front of the property either. She has lost the outside lights that gave her the ability to move around safely outside but most of all she has lost the shed that contained many important and sentimental things to her including items and memories she had left of her late husband Norman who sadly passed away a few years ago.

Valerie who is now 80 has lived in Goudhurst for 20+ years. Norman and herself are known and loved by many in our village and beyond. They both had the kind of love for each other that most of us would only ever get to dream about and so as many may imagine despite her brave face she is devastated to have lost so many irreplaceable memories and items of his and this has had a profound effect emotionally.

So although contributions to this cause won’t replace the things that were highly important and sentimental to Valerie we are hoping that your contributions will help her through this incredibly challenging time. It will help ease some of the financial burden of getting her back on her feet and help to cover the cost of things that may not be covered by other sources of financial aid.

Thank you for taking the time to read this story. Any help you can give, big or little is appreciated and will be so greatly received!