Fundraisers rally to support family whose eco-home was destroyed by fire

Wellwishers have donated more than £13,000 after an eco-house that featured on Grand Designs was destroyed in a fire.

Simon and Jasmine Dale's home was labelled the "cheapest house ever built in the Western Hemisphere" on the Channel 4 programme in 2016.

The £27,000 property is part of Lammas Ecovillage, a sustainable community near Crymych in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.

Firefighters spent more than six hours tackling the blaze, which happened on New Year's Day, but the home was "burned to the ground".

A page has been set up on JustGiving to raise £20,000 for the couple, who have two children, to rebuild the property.

"Simon, Jasmine and their two children have been residents at Lammas eco village, Pembrokeshire, since the start of the project," the page states.

"They have been working on their family home for the last six years.

"This beautiful building was featured on Grand Designs last year.

"Sadly a fire started on New Year's Day and their beloved home was burned to the ground.

"Luckily no-one was hurt but, as you can imagine, the family are devastated."

A post on the Lammas Community Hub Facebook page said the blaze was "a suspected electrical fire".

"Their huge greenhouse escaped, as did Simon's workshop, and their little roundhouse is still fine too," it continued.

"Huge amount of work that went into the creation of the building, and the kids' rooms, all destroyed.
"Thankfully no-one was hurt, which is a miracle."

The JustGiving page can be found here