Pigeon fancier 'determined' to recover from fire

43 minutes ago

Tom MacDougall,North East and Cumbriaand

Mike Zeller,BBC Radio Cumbria

News image — Hundreds of pigeons were killed in a fire at a Cleator Moor allotment in July

Danny Rodgers A screenshot from a video showing firefighters putting out the blaze. A charred, mangled building reveals where the wooden pigeon loft used to be. A sketal frame is all that remains, with the rest of the building collapsed into a pile of black debris on the ground. The firefighters, in protective gear and yellow helmets, spray a jet of water towards the site, white steam rising from it. — Hundreds of pigeons were killed in a fire at a Cleator Moor allotment in July

A pigeon fancier who lost 300 of his prized birds in a fire has said the support from the local community has made him "determined" to recover.

Danny Rodgers, who rears the birds with his father Ken Biggs, said he was alerted to a fire at their pigeon loft in a Cleator Moor allotment on 17 July - by which time "everything had already gone".

However, a fundraiser to reconstruct the building and help the pair get back on their feet has raised £17,000 so far.

Rodgers said: "The support, generosity, and just basically encouragement to carry on has given us the determination to get back - I want to thank everyone for that."

Danny Rodgers Danny Rodgers, a man in his 50s with stubble and a shaved head, smiles and holds a pigeon, which sits in his hands. He is wearing a bright orange shirt with a graphic on the front. — Pigeon fancier Danny Rodgers said he wanted to thank locals and the pigeon fancying community for their support

He said he was woken at about 05:00 BST by a neighbour who said there was a fire in the allotment and "shot over", where he saw firefighters trying to put out the blaze.

"It was all a bit of a daze, it seemed unreal, but sadly it was too real," he said.

"That morning we were at an all-time low, we were going to throw in the towel.

"It isn't the money at all, it was the pigeons and the way they died, it's something you never forget and never get over."

However, he said local residents and other members of the pigeon fancying community had immediately helped to clear away the debris and started donating money to help him recover.

"We're absolutely lost for words to be honest," he said.

Fellow pigeon fancier Brian Fitzsimmons, who set up the fundraiser, said: "It's a testament that people in West Cumbria are absolutely fantastic, Cleator Moor is a place where we all pull together when it's needed."

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