Fiona Govan
A BRITISH family who moved to Benidorm on Spain’s Costa Blanca and have been left penniless after losing their jobs in the coronavirus crisis are raising money to return home to the UK.
Waitress Lindsey, 41 and chef Peter Chadwick, 56, lost their jobs at a restaurant when it closed during the pandemic last year and said they had been living on hand-outs from food banks.
The family who moved to the Costa Blanca resort 10 years ago, now face eviction from their flat later this month after falling behind on rent and launched a crowd-funding appeal via Go Fund Me to try to raise the money they needed to fly home and tide them over until they could get settled.
Mother-of-three Lindsey, originally from Halifax, West Yorkshire, said they had been forced to make the decision to return to the UK because they couldn’t get the help they needed in Spain.
“We have had to make the difficult decision to return to the UK. Not because we want to but because we can no longer support ourselves and our children here. We have had no help from the Government or local town hall despite applying for help,” she said.
“We are desperate to return, but have no money to self isolate nor do we have accomodation,” she explained.
“We have always worked during the years we have lived here,working all the hours necessary to give our children a life they deserve. We through no fault of our own have been put in this awful position of not being able to support ourselves or our children.
“We desperately need funding to get home and to find somewhere to stay while we approach the relevant authorities to find us a new home and rebuild our lives.”
On Monday the couple exceeded their fundraising goal of €2,000 and are now packing up to fly home.
“We don’t want to go back to claim benefits we want to work. We’ve been out of work now for over a year now and we feel down and desperate to get back to doing what we do,” Lindsey wrote on the Gofundme page. “Everyone’s donations are so much appreciated in helping us get back on our feet. it’s going to be a long journey, but with all your help we are fighting to get there.”
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