On the 21st of March, a tragic incident happened. Riccardo, who always got a great bright smile when working at Gail’s bakery at Dulwich in south-east London, experienced a devastating fire. Luckily, the fire due to the druggies living below did not cause any injuries; however, it has caused Riccardo and his family (including his wife and two young children), to lose all their possessions. All their clothes, furniture, baby equipment, etc. have gone with the fire. They have become homeless and are now in a halfway house awaiting the council's decision to re-house them.
Rosie Stamp, who is one of their friends, said that the landlord had no insurance so there is no hope of recouping anything at all. Hence, she is fundraising a donation of a target of £5000 on the JustGiving website for the family. Posters are at the bus stops, Dulwich Park, and other places in the village to share their sad story and raise the emergency cash they need.
By 31st March 2021, only about a week after the disaster happened, £4,045 are raised by 134 supporters in the local community, and this number is growing at a steady rate. People are also kindly donating necessities such as clothes to the family.
Apart from giving donations, many donors also left heart-warming messages on the website to support this beloved family.
Lucie Russell:
While we all drink our lovely coffees from Gails this poor family are left with nothing, let’s push our community spirit to the max and everyone rally round now in dulwich be there for them!
Zuleika Teixeira:
So sorry to hear this Ricardo. We hope you and your family get back on your feet quickly. Love from the portuguese family with the 3 children from Gails in Dulwich xxx
Emma and Theo:
Dear Riccardo. We feel heartbroken for you. What a devastating thing to go through. We do hope you can move on to happier times very soon. We miss seeing you in Dulwich. Love and strength to you all
Rosie, the fundraiser, also wrote movingly, “All you Dulwich yummy mummies will remember the radiant smile, boundless energy and ENDLESS patience with which Riccardo navigated all our caffeine deprived manic selves after the school run, when we would all descend into Gail's in the village and immediately feel like we were all around one big kitchen counter. The speed and dedication of that man was superhuman and the bakery has not been the same since he moved branches to Blackheath.”
My wishes go out to the family and I hope with all the supports from the community they would get through this hardship very soon. It would be very kind of you if you are willing to help; no matter how big or small, every contribution to make the family a better place counts tremendously.
