'The wonderful words being spoken about mum really has meant so much': Daughter whose mother died in Shrewsbury house fire tragedy thanks firefighters, well wishers and local community

Rose Roberts, aged 81, died on January 27 after the fire at Perches House, the historic Grade II-listed building she lovingly restored over many years.

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Her daughter, Jessica Richards, has been left devastated by the loss of her mum.

But she has taken great comfort in the hundreds of kind messages from well wishers sharing memories of her mum on social media and on the crowdfunding campaign launched to rebuild the house.

She spoke to the Shropshire Star to thank all the people who have been there for her and her family since the heartbreaking tragedy.

First she told of the heroics of the firefighters.

“The first three or four firemen got there in four minutes. They risked their lives to try and save mum.

“The equipment they had wasn’t safe for the intensity of the fire they went into, but they still did it.

“I’ve got no idea who they are, but I’ve got to say a huge thank you to them.

“There were so many firemen and they were all so kind.”She added: “Graham Carless was the first fireman I met and was stationed right outside my front door, facing my mum’s. 

“He was so kind and sweet. A genuinely lovely man who had also been in the house previously fighting the fire.”

The funding campaign to rebuild the house that Rose loved so much, which also featured as Scrooge's office in the 1984 film A Christmas Carol, has so far raised more than £28,000.

Katy Rink and Phil Langstaff helped Jessica pull together the campaign with words and images to tell the story.

Phil along with Jacob Chandler has also been working hard to see if there are any grants available to give the fundraiser a serious boost.

“They have given me a glimmer of hope,” Jessica said.

She also paid tribute to the support she received from building control worker Justin Offland - who was among the first on the scene -  and his colleagues Scott Gerrard and Helen Edwards.

“Justin got to the site at 4am,” Jessica said. “His cover took over at 1pm but rather than going home to rest, he fed his cat, jumped in the shower and came back. He just wouldn’t leave the building after that. 

“I think it was two nights later he allowed himself a night’s sleep. Justin is the definition of going above and beyond. 

“Helen worked with Justin. A really lovely lady. They had been collecting cards and flowers for mum.

“On the day Justin left he was waiting over four hours for me to come back to the house so he could say bye and give me a bunch of flowers from everyone at building control.”

Ross and Amy Callaghan, of Callaghan Framing, have expertise in restoring art, and have made space in one of their storage containers for some of the artwork and antiques which were salvaged from the wreckage.

They have also been organising a team of building experts including architects, historic consultants and structural surveyors for what will be a huge restoration project.

Colleagues at Jessica’s shop, Shrewsbury Arts & Crafts - which is within Perches House - have also stepped up.

Stuart Simmonds, Amanda Ryder, Lesley Stabler and Karolina Wakalinska helped rescue some of the artwork within the shop which would otherwise have been destroyed by water and smoke damage, and stored it with the help of nearby shop Dutch Living.

The shop sells paintings, ceramics and other artwork created by artists from across Shropshire.

“I feel like I’m a custodian of their work, so it was important to try and save it,” Jessica said.

Neighbour Simon Brittain is another who has supported Jessica and family, helping arrange a short stay for them at the nearby Prince Rupert Hotel in the immediate aftermath of the fire.

“They were just ripping all the tiles off the roof and I just said ‘we need to get out of here’,” Jessica said.

“A huge thank you to Simon and the Prince Rupert who said we could stay an extra night without paying, but my daughter wanted to go home.”

She added: “There has been such an influx of love and support. I have to apologise for not getting back to everyone. All the support on social media and on the crowdfunder and the people leaving flowers. It’s been overwhelming.

"I can't thank everybody enough who tried to help my mum. It's been amazing to see the support for mum. It means so much.

"It's a crazy time but I've had so much support. The wonderful words being spoken about mum really has meant so much. So thank you."