Heart-break for home owner
Walsden homeowner Angela Cheetham shares her story with the Halifax Courier after being forced out of her home by the floods.
In July 2018, Angela’s daughter passed away. Shortly after, her husband was diagnosed with cancer and died ten months later.
On Sunday February 9, her home on Spruce Walk was flooded and made uninhabitable.
“The rain started to get heavy at around 10:30am. All of a sudden it started leaking into my home. My neighbours immediately came over to help. They were able to save my living room and stopped the kitchen from needing to be totally demolished. I had to barricade my living room with towels and rugs.
“The bedroom was really badly affected and I’ve had to keep fans running constantly to air it out.”
Angela, age 64, had recently finished renovating the bungalow.
“It’s not the material goods, it’s how it flips all of your life upside down.
“I was in total shock for a week. It was hard to focus on anything. How can one person go through so much heartbreak?”
Angela is a resident with housing association ‘Places for People’, who helped her get into safe and suitable accommodation following the floods.
“My housing association has been excellent. They’ve put me up in nice accommodation that’s really close to my bungalow. I’m very grateful to them.”
Angela is a member of Rochdale Wardle Jehovah witnesses and during these upsetting times, has found comfort in prayer and community.
“The past couple years have been really hard. I just want to say to people that you’re stronger than you think you are and when times are tough, you can get through them. I want my story to show people that you can survive difficult times.”