Aug 31, 2017 at 07:27 pm

Some Good News!

Update posted by Tanya F

Hi Everybody,

We have had some good news come through today! Edinburgh City Council are willing to re-home us on a temporary basis and take responsibility for having the work undertaken to bring the flat brought back into a suitable condition. They are providing an appropriate flat in the same area, meaning that we keep the same midwife team, can still have the same doula, and will be in reach of the same support networks we require. They will be providing movers to get all our furniture and belongings into the new flat, and again to bring it all back once the flat has the all clear.

This is the least bad of all the possible outcomes we were facing at this time. It will hopefully give us a one week (though hopefully more) before the baby is here to just cozy up and prepare. It does mean a lot of work packing up our home and it will mean moving back with a newborn, but such is life. It is also highly illustrative of the current housing crisis that even with £2.5k raised in this fundraiser that we had been unable to secure a private let that would take us on. The aftermath of the Right To Buy and the current wave of mass gentrification taking place in the UK has meant that rent in Edinburgh is aimed far above what we could ever hope to afford.

So, talking of money, we worked out that in terms of attempted repair costs alone we have run up in the region of £3k in materials, labour, and other associated costs. This doesn't include the massive jump in outgoings that moving between other houses has caused, from having to buy food as and when it is needed to travel costs for getting around and back to the flat. This fundraiser is open to help plug that gap, and while it doesn't make up for the 2mths we are behind on our birth plans/nesting that B&Q/Valspar have caused, it will help us keep our chins above water. We will be asking for those costs back from B&Q/Valspar, and separately using funds from here to talk with a solicitor to pursue a damages claim. If at the end of this whole process we end up with more money than we started then we plan on offering everyone their donations back. We will then pass forward any unclaimed funds to other mother's facing similar hardship via CRIBS International.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped us, not only with this fundraising aspect of things but also with the friendship, practical help, and solidarity we have experienced.

Love & Solidarity,

T.

PS - In the next update I hope to discuss the latest news on how things are proceeding in our struggle with B&Q/Valspar. We talked with Valspar earlier today and have not been impressed with them one bit.

Back to campaign page