$200 000 more raised for fire victims

ictims of the Wellington Street, St Michael fire have received another substantial donation – this time, $200 000 – thanks to the combined efforts of the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust and Trustee Derek Smith.

Speaking at the presentation which happened on the scene of the fire, Member of Parliament for The City, Corey Lane reflected on the May 5 event which affected 57 individuals from 21 families, with 46 people and 14 families displaced.

He expressed gratitude to those who contributed to the cause of restoring stability to the victims, including the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust.

“The reality is that beyond the physical things lost here, there’s been a lot of psychological impact, and that is also something that we’ve been dealing with,” Lane said. “I am glad for this very significant gesture today because a lot of the families have been reaching out. We are in this together. Government cannot do it alone, and that is why I salute trusts like the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust to be able to pitch in.”

The City MP acknowledged the ongoing psychological impact, emphasising the importance of the donation in helping families recover.

“Some of them lost everything they have, and every day they have more and more requests, and I’ve been trying my best. And with this assistance this morning, I think it will definitely put us on a greater footing to get them back into a better place,” Lane noted.

He also mentioned the immediate needs identified through resident interviews, focusing on essentials like food and toiletries, as well as the replacement of items such as children’s tablets.

Representing the Trust, Phillipa Challis highlighted the collaborative nature of the response, stating, “We just felt that on this occasion, because of the number of people, families, and children that were affected, we should do it as a collaborative.”

Stressing the importance of providing long term solutions for the families, she announced the Trust’s donation of $100 000 with an additional $100 000 personally donated by Smith.

“The families have been short-term housed elsewhere. We need to use that money to find them a long-term solution, and that, to us, is vitally important. We can’t just keep moving this problem on. Stability for these children is important, and that’s what the Trust is actually about,” she said, emphasising a need to get the children back into school and feeling safe in their own homes.

Challis urged the recipients to “make good use of the donation”.