Diocese of Truro, United Kingdom

North Cornwall District Council's action in setting up an Appeal Fund, to be administered by the Red Cross, has been welcomed by parishioners at Boscastle. The Revd Christine Musser, priest in charge of the parish, says that it comes as a great relief to those in the parish councils, the churches and the voluntary organisations who have been receiving offers of help.

Boscastle, in the UK's rural South West county of Cornwall, was devasted by flash-floods last week, leaving villagers homeless and many with the loss of their businesses. Despite the town's near destruction by floodwaters reaching several feet high, no one was killed or severely injured, partly due to the unprecedented rescue operations launched by Cornwall's coastguards

"I have been inundated with most generous offers" said the Revd Musser, "ranging from cash to clothing. Electrical goods to food; the scale of the damage is far greater than was initially realised, but a place of this size could not hope adequately to administer a relief fund. We held a meeting on Thursday to look at the possibilities of setting up something locally, but it was decided that this would not be helpful. Our priorities have to be the immediate needs of people, and therefore we are delighted that the District Council has moved so quickly."

Christine Musser says that local people have been reassured by the Chief Executive of North Cornwall District Council, David Brown, that local people will act as Trustees. "We are very delighted that there is to be a strong local input, into the distribution of funds" said Mrs Musser.

APPEAL DETAILS

People can donate to the appeal by calling 00 44 870 1633823 or by writing to North Cornwall Flood Appeal, C/O British Red Cross, Rotherham S98 1ZA United Kingdom, or visiting the web site:

http://www.redcross.org.uk/cornwallflood.

Cheques should be made payable to "North Cornwall Flood Appeal (BRCS account)".

Space to Grieve

Mrs Musser expressed her thanks today to the media for the generous and sympathetic coverage which the events of the past week have received. "We are enormously grateful for the care and understanding which has been shown" she said. "We hope that the media will now withdraw and leave us alone for a space: there is a grieving process happening here, and people should be allowed to come to terms with a loss of this magnitude, without feeling that the eyes of the camera are always on them."