Fire Disaster Appeal launches for The Carpenter’s Arms’ Six Hills site

We need your help!

On the morning of Saturday, 30^th March, The Carpenter’s Arms suffered a devastating fire at its Six Hills property on the A46 between Loughborough and Melton Mowbray.

Miraculously, none of the staff or residents were injured and we would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Services for their incredible efforts to bring the fire quickly under control.

Thanks go to staff member and former resident Alex Moore who raised the alarm and carried out a swift fire evacuation.

Assessing the full structural damage is going to take some time but there is extensive fire damage to the kitchen as well as smoke damage to the dining room, gym, our new reception area and our first-floor pastoral, administration and management offices. It is heart breaking that these are all areas that our staff members and residents have personally refurbished over the last three years.

Richard Spence, CEO of The Carpenter’s Arms said,

“Whilst we are all deeply upset by the damage to the building, we are truly humbled by the outpouring of support from our local community who turned up to lend their support at the weekend.

Thankfully, we have been able to put in place all temporary measures to save the site from shutting down and to house residents on site whilst we build back. Our immediate priority is to ensure that those elements of the programme that play such a key part in drug and alcohol recovery – for example, cooking and eating together and physical fitness through use of our on-site gym – are back up and running as soon as possible.”

The Carpenter’s Arms Fire Disaster Appeal has now been launched to raise immediate funds for the following:

New refrigeration and freezer units

Whilst we have managed to secure a mobile kitchen, there is little space to store perishable items. We have lost two weeks’ worth of perishable food in the fire and would like to install the facilities needed to replenish these stocks.

Getting our food store back up and running

We need to fit out an area where we can build back and safely store our non-perishable food items.

Kitchen and dining equipment

We’re missing everything you would normally find in a kitchen and dining room – chopping boards, food preparation equipment, plates, cutlery, tables and chairs which enable our residents to cook and eat together.

Gym equipment

Physical fitness plays a big part too in mental wellbeing. We know that our residents really benefit from time in the gym to escape negative thoughts and boredom as they recover from the effects of drug or alcohol misuse. Gym equipment the men are missing the most at the moment are dumbbells and benches.

Lounge area 

Comfortable sofas and chairs (please note: we can only accept items with the appropriate fire safety label attached).

If you would like to lend your support to helping The Carpenter’s Arms rebuild after this devastating fire, you can do so on the Carpenter’s Arms Fire Disaster Appeal fundraising page

Images of happier times at the Six Hills kitchen and the devastation caused by the recent fire.