A fundraiser has been launched to support a couple who ran a Hull pub destroyed by fire in recent days.
Sutton Fields landlady Emily May Southcott and her partner Rachel lost all their possessions, clothing and pet cats in the blaze which ripped through the Oslo Road venue in the early hours of Saturday morning. Thankfully the building had emptied of occupants before firefighters made it to the scene.
Now Gavin Clixby, the manager of Lisa’s Ladies charity football team – which is part of the Hull 4 Heroes veterans charity – has set up a gofundme page which has appealed to the community to support the couple. His team, which is connected to a mental health peer support group, was sponsored extensively by the pub.
Gavin explained: “Emily has sponsored us, got us a new kit and done a few events in the pub for us. Emily has come to training with us on a few occasions. And obviously, after Soccer Kings on Sunday, we often pop in there for some refreshments.”
So far more than £900 has been pledged to the fundraiser, with a target of £1,200. Emily and the pub had raised Lisa’s Ladies nearly £1,000 just before Christmas last year, and now Gavin, who works for a metal fabrication firm by day, is keen to return the support for his friends “in their hour of need”.
He added: “It’s not just a pub that’s burned down – it’s also somebody’s home, and its also a hub of the community. There was quite a close knit community in there with a lot of regulars. It’s just sad, really.”
Gavin took Emily and Rachel some clothing in the immediate aftermath of the fire on Saturday morning. He says the funds raised will get the couple back on their feet and also go towards the bill for cremation of their two cats, who sadly died in the fire.
The fundraiser is expected to run until next Wednesday. Gavin now hopes the pair will be given another pub to run in the city while investigations are ongoing into the Sutton Fields demise.
Only days after the fire, Lisa’s Ladies took to the pitch in their new, Sutton Fields-sponsored kits and delivered a 12-0 win. Posting on LinkedIn, Hull 4 Heroes founder and CEO Paul Matson encouraged others to back the fundraiser, and explained that the team helps promote the Lisa’s Ladies group, which offers women a safe, supportive space to talk.