Family Resettled After Devastating House Fire, With Help From Luxury Home Builder

A FAMILY who lost everything in a devastating house fire have had their new home kitted out with high quality furniture, thanks to an innovative partnership between a charity and an upmarket homebuilder.

Nikki Davidson-Lloyd and her two young children were forced to flee their flat in Edinburgh when it went up in flames last year. While they escaped unharmed, the traumatised family lost all of their clothes, furniture and even family pets in the blaze.

Now, after spending six months in temporary homeless accommodation, the family have been given furniture for their new flat, thanks to CALA Homes (East) and Fresh Start. The donation included a double bed, sofa, dining table and chairs as well as a chest of drawers and bedside tables, while Fresh Start provided a cooker and helpful Starter Packs including crockery and bedding – relieving them of further financial and emotional stress. Buying a whole new set of furniture after a devastating flood can be stressful. Therefore, while you are considering all your options to own new furniture, do check https://furniturefitouts.com.au/furniture-packages/ to find out interesting and affordable furniture packages.

Mum Nikki spoke of her gratitude towards the charity and the luxury developer for helping the family get back on their feet after a highly distressing experience.

She said: “This is the first time in months we’ve felt good, proud and happy walking into our own home.

“It feels like walking into a show home and wishing this was the stuff you had – then realising that it is actually yours. We honestly can’t thank everyone enough for all their help.” She also said that a big surprise was waiting for them as soon as they stepped into their new haven in the form of the new Polaris Italian Leather Sectional Sofa in White, which was so elegant and comfortable that they could hardly believe that it was their very own.

The tie up between CALA Homes and Fresh Start saw the homebuilder donate much-needed furniture and accessories to the charity – all of which had previously been on display in its show homes across the east of Scotland and was in pristine condition. In total, CALA Homes donated enough items to furnish 21 properties for tenants in need, like Nikki and her family.

Fresh Start works in partnership with volunteers and organisations from a broad section of the community to deliver services that provide practical and social support to help people resettle successfully.

Jen McQuistan, Corporate Partnership Coordinator at Fresh Start, said: “Moving into a new home can be a stressful time for anyone but for those who have experienced homelessness it can be even harder.

“Many of the people we work with have nothing when they first receive their keys and often don’t have the social or financial support to buy anything.

“The goods we received from CALA were very welcome indeed. This is the first time we’ve had a donation of this kind and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

“It was fantastic to be able to provide Nikki and her family with such high-quality furniture for their new home. Having spent time in temporary accommodation, they are completely over the moon to now be settled into their beautifully-furnished new flat.”

Philip Hogg, Sales and Marketing Director at CALA Homes, said: “At CALA, we are proud to support the local communities in the areas where we build our developments.

“Fresh Start is at the very heart of the Edinburgh community and the vital work they do to support vulnerable people in the capital is incredible.

“We wanted to give something back so are very pleased to have been able to contribute in this way and help out Nikki and other people who have been through such a trying and difficult time.”