Hi my name is Linda Kirkbride from Handmadestudios in The Square Petersfield

last night 3 July saw a devastating fire in Lavant street which saw the destruction of several independent small businesses and people’s homes in the flats above.

i have my own small businesses in the town and cannot imagine the devastation this has brought to everyone effected.

Insurance takes a long time to sort & I would like to help in the short term to cover some of their immediate costs. Some are having to find accommodation immediately so please if you have something to spare let’s help them .

i have been overseeing the account with the money being downloaded into my personal account & distributed from there to the businesses & resident affected by the fire.

my relationship to the recipients of the money is one of a local independent retailer within the town where the fire was.

as the resident lost her home and all her belongings she will receive a bigger portion of the fund with the rest split equally between the businesses affected . The individual owners of the business are to decide how to distribute the cash or to use to purchase replacement equipment that was lost

I aim to distribute the funds as soon as possible and be given out at the latest by December 31 2025