This fundraiser is to support our dear friends Gary and Mālā who lost so much in the recent fires. They have been putting their hearts and souls into a 12ha land regeneration project in Serra de Estrela, Portugal. We live in the same valley and on the 6th September, a fire was deliberately started at the bottom of their valley on a neighbouring property.

Mālā (previously known as Marianne/Maz) and Gary were at the market when they were alerted by a neighbour. They rushed back to attend to the emergency and saw fire already spreading on both sides of the valley.

Within minutes of arriving back home, the access road became impassable due to the intensity of the fire. They fought the fire and managed to save their home, which they are still in the process of building. Helicopters and planes flew over the valley and dropped water onto the inferno, but due to strong winds, the fire continued to spread, burning the neighbouring villages of Furtado, Torrozelo and Valezim.

Sadly, Gary and Mālā suffered significant losses. The fire turned to ashes a huge amount of infrastructure, including their irrigation system, caravan for hosting volunteers and their much loved horse box, which contained many items, including machinery, tools and materials. As the house wasn’t completed, they weren’t able to get insurance on it and the outdoor items, including vehicles would not have been covered anyway.

They now are working to tidy the mess and are redrafting their plans for the land. Both Gary and Mãlã are trained in permaculture practices and their vision remains to regenerate the forest to its natural state.

Every year, the Portuguese countryside suffers from wild fires due to monoculture plantations of (non-indigenous) pine and eucalyptus, which parch the earth and ignite easily. They have been thinning the Pine to make space for replanting the forest with native deciduous and evergreen species.

Your financial help no matter the value, would mean the world to Mālā and Gary, so they can continue their angel work in our valley. They don't like to ask, and I feel this is a good cause and two beautiful friends worthy of our support.

All donations will help to buy trees and seeds, reinstate the vital irrigation system, accommodation for volunteers and replace essential tools and machinery to manage the land. The list of items lost is written below (this does not include all the trees and shrubs).

Thank you for your support.

List of some items lost in the fire

Mercedes Horsebox = €5,000

Izusu Trooper 4wd €2000

Spare set of 5 off road wheels and tyres x2 €1100

Caravan €3000

2 bicycles €500

Range cooker = €300

Wood burner – blue enamel €300

Burner flue and water heater for burner €150

Karcher hoover €79

Balerina water heater €500

Morning Star solar controller €250

Ifor Williams trailer 1.3m by 2.5m €1000

Waeco compressor fridge €500

2 solid wooden doors €200

3 part glazed doors €100

1 aluminium door €200

2 double glazed new windows (for house) €800

3 wooden windows €150

Sliding patio door 200€

Pots and pans & kitchenware €100

2 vango matresses €250

4m bell tent = €500

3m bell tent = €250

4m bell coir matting €129

Duvet €50

Pillows €50

Towels €50

Snowboarding boots €400

Cork granules 2 cubic metres €100

4 cubic metres pine firewood @60/m3 =240€

9 x 3.3m 11cm by 7cm casquinia vigas @ 20€ cada =180€

2x sinks: 1 ceramic, 1 double metal sink €200

Caddy spares

2 sets tail lights 100€

Tailgate and 2 doors for caddy 250€

Garden machinery

1 stihl strimmer €400

5 cubes @ 70€ = €350

Cable, Piping and fittings €1000

3” Lay flat hose, 50m €150

¾ inch Garden Hoses x 3 x 50m @ €78 = €234

45m 4 gang extension reel €85

TOTAL €21,397