A Moray family of nine left homeless after a blaze destroyed their farmhouse have said they are overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity being shown from throughout the region.
Johnny and Hazel Law and their seven children escaped from their home near Dufftown thanks to a fully operational smoke alarm that woke them early on Thursday morning.
However, their house at Kininvie, near Dufftown, was razed to the ground and all bar the clothes they were wearing were destroyed.
The family have been facing a bleak Christmas at a hotel in Elgin – but people from around Moray were quick to react, with a temporary home being found and thousands of pounds worth of household goods and Christmas gifts pouring in.
A collection at the B&Q car park in Elgin gathered seven car loads of gifts alone, with many more collected in other parts of Moray and much more promised to follow.
Moray’s MP and MSP praised the fantastic ‘community spirit’ that saw game consoles and a laptop computer being handed in – and the promise of a new cooker and washing machine from a local shop.
Kind-hearted residents have also handed over £1500 at Speyside Primary School for the family. A spokeswoman for the Law’s, who are too overwhelmed to talk about their experience, said that they were simply “overwhelmed” by the kindness being shown to them by the community.
Moray MP Angus Robertson said it was “humbling” to hear of the community spirit being shown: “This was a devastating fire and we can only be grateful that no-one lost their lives in it however we now have a family who have lost a huge amount and it is humbling to see the community digging deep to help out at such a difficult time.”
Local MSP Richard Lochhead added: “The community in Dufftown and further afield have given a huge response to this shocking fire.
“To lose your home and belongings to fire is terrible at any time but it is particularly poignant at this time of year. There are many folk rallying around to help, which will hopefully be of some comfort.”
While the Law family’s two dogs are thought to have perished in the blaze their three cats are believed to have escaped and locals are being asked to keep a lookout for them. All three are black and wearing pink, blue and red collars.