7 days ago
Grandfather overwhelmed by 'astronomical' support following allotment fire
A west-Cumbrian grandfather has said that he is overwhelmed by the "astronomical" support shown to him by members of the public following a fire which destroyed his allotment.
Alan Coulter's allotment in Whitehaven went up in smoke following a battery fire from a power-bank which was thought to have failed.
Speaking to ITV Border about the situation, Alan Coulter said: "I got a phone call out of the blue and one of the guys down here on the allotment site gave me a ring to say it was on fire.
"I rushed up here and of course all of the traffic lights were on red and it felt like it took me a lifetime to get here."
Alan explained the reasons behind what started the fire, he said: "We believe that what happened was I had a power-bank in one of the far end sheds and it was being charged by solar panels and I think the battery management system has failed and allowed electricity to come into fully charged batteries.
"They overheated, melted the plastic and then I believe it ignited which caused the devastation."
The general public have rallied around Alan and provided him support since the fire.
He said: "I was ready to throw the towel in but thanks to the generosity of the general public and my family and the support that I have had from the community which has been astronomical.
"We have decided now we are going to make it bigger and better and onwards and upwards.
"It was never a paradise but it was my paradise, it was like any allotment really, cobbled together with the best I could with what I could afford."
