From Hospitality To Hardship and looming Homelessness
**Help Karen, Liv, Holly, Maya and Ruby Rebuild and Stay Safe in Their Home and Community After a Brutal and Unlawful Eviction **
Dear Friends,
My name is Karen, and on October 17, 2023, while my daughters Liv, Holly, and I were finally taking a long-awaited family holiday with Holly’s two daughters, when our lives took a devastating turn.
After years of dedication and hard work, we had built The Bolenna—our cherished inn and restaurant in Cornwall—investing our love, pride, and all our financial resources. But then , Just two weeks away from peacefully vacating the property, we felt hopeful and ready for the next chapter.
Covid had taken its toll and escalating interest rates and costs had proven our beloved business to not be viable. We had given notice to vacate and had conformation from our landlord’s lawyer that our last day of tenure would be October 31 2023.
The first morning of our brief trip my daughters Liv, Holly, and I were finally having a bit of dedicated family time with Hollys two daughters: Maya and Ruby. We were planning on staying in the industry we love and were hopeful of a new venture and ready for the next chapter.
Then I received a message from my head chef that shattered everything.
“Massive problem here. Please call me ASAP.”
Our landlord, who we’ll refer to as RBS, had brought individuals posing as bailiffs. They forcibly entered our property, changed the locks, and illegally kept everything—bar stock, linens, all my catering equipment, furnishings, and even Liv’s yoga studio equipment. Over £250,000 worth of our investment was taken without any legal notice or documentation.
The police attended but did not uphold the law or attempt to protect my property, guests or staff. Even a lone young woman: my front of house duty manager.
The police refused to intervene, categorizing it as a civil matter, despite the clear criminal implications of impersonating bailiffs and committing theft. In a single day, we lost our business, our livelihood, and our sense of security.
**The Aftermath**
Upon our return home, we discovered RBS occupying our former premises and spreading falsehoods about us. Our loyal supporters and friends were baffled and incredulous and everyone said the same thing,
“He can’t so that !” even my lawyers pointed out every aspect of illegality in his actions, but the Police still did nothing. he simply ignored everything.
I did attempt once to walk up the drive and he flew out the door screaming that I was trespassing ! He is an aggressive bully despite his advances age.
He broke a verbal agreement to leave Liv’s yoga studio and garden intact. Liv, who had built it herself, was barred from entering, and sentimental items were damaged. The trauma has caused Liv to develop Trigeminal Neuralgia, a debilitating nerve condition often referred to as the “suicide disease,” leaving her in constant excruciating pain. The trauma has also triggered a complex array of mental health conditions that now impact her everyday life to such a degree that she rarely leaves the house and needs it as her place of safety. She is governed now by fear and consequence. It breaks all our hearts.
I too have struggled with PTSD and anxiety as I strive to protect my daughters and grandchildren. We have found solace through community theatre and creative projects, but we have now been dragged over in just and merciless coals for nearly two-years. A legal battle without any access to Legal Aid. It has broken me in every conceivable way.
While I hired the most affordable solicitor available, RBS exploited his wealth and influence to prolong the process, causing us further distress and causing me to run out of money in entirety and default on other commercial agreements which I would have serviced easily, if he had released my belongings to pursue another business. The total restraint of trade should have been the final straw but then his propensity for lying went to another level.
**We Have the Evidence**
We have meticulously documented everything with receipts, photographs, and a comprehensive inventory. When my solicitor presented this evidence to RBS’s legal team, they denied nearly all claims, including the existence of a hot tub in Liv’s garden, insisting it had been repossessed until we provided photographs proving otherwise.
Our legal team confirmed we are in the right; but there is no Legal Aid available to me. RBS had no legal authority to seize the property prematurely or retain our belongings.
Justice will be a lengthy process that requires resources we no longer possess
I was pushed into bankruptcy in January of this year because of the actions of one cruel narcissistic individual with no scruples for how he achieves his aim. I will lose my home of nearly twenty years, my daughter’s place of safety which helps her stay in this world with us, the home my granddaughters have always known and came home to on their first day of life. The home in the heart of a community where we belong. With our friends. Without this roof and this garden I will no longer be able to stay in the place I have worked so tirelessly to make known to the world : Cornwall. my home, our home, will be lost to me and my daily contact with my beautiful grandchildren who live with us as much as they do with their mum, will be torn away from us.
**What We Need**
We urgently require in excess of £200,000 to cover the creditors who stand to benefit from the loss of everything we have. I am taking the injustices of this to every authority including Parliament. I will somehow find a way to change the law which puts pounds before people and for that I need adequate representation. Without this support, we risk everything along with our family home—the last stable refuge for Liv, Holly, my grandchildren, and me.
**Why Your Support Matters**
- Your contribution will help us pursue justice in a system that prioritises wealth over fairness.
- You will support Liv, who is enduring chronic mental health and neurological pain from trauma.
- Your generosity will aid us in safeguarding our home and rebuilding a future to show the younger girls it is possible survive a bully and the chaos that he wrought for personal gain.
- You will stand against injustice, demonstrating that integrity still holds value.
I pledge to fight on until the bankruptcy laws of the country are fit for purpose in the twenty first century and for the care and compassion needed especially for women in distress, who are disproportionately disadvantaged by our legal system.
We are not seeking charity; we are asking for solidarity. If you believe in fairness, truth, and the right to defend what you have built, please join us in our fight.
Even if you cannot donate, sharing our story can make a significant impact.
We poured our hearts into building The Bolenna and fostered a sense of community. Now, we are reaching out for that same spirit to help us rise again.
With heartfelt gratitude and love,
—Karen, with Liv & Holly, Maya and Ruby .
- #StandWithKarenLivHolly
- #FightForFairness
- #EvictionWithoutWarning
- #TruthOverPower
- #HelpRebuildHope
Additional Documents
Organizer
Karen Colam
Organizer
England