Buying a new home should mean the start of a happy new chapter in life’s journey, the beginning of plans for the future, projects to finish and dreams to be made. Sadly, this wasn’t the case for one Suffolk couple, Geoff and Margaret Shipp. Childhood sweethearts who’ve been together for almost 57 years, they looked forward to a long and happy retirement together. In 2012, Geoff & Margaret were delighted when they became owners of a beautiful barn in Tunstall and they set about plans to renovate the property. Not long after, in 2013, Geoff was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, a disease that has left him in acute respiratory failure.
Plans were drawn up and they turned to a local builder who promised to project manage the barn’s full renovation and make it fit for Geoff’s specific needs. In stages, they paid him £78,000 – their full budget for the project – for a new kitchen, two bedrooms, en-suite bathroom and lounge / garden room. Their home soon became a building site but the builder has lost all the money and the work is still not done, leaving Geoff and Margaret in a house that is barely habitable.
Following a terrible winter, the couple continue to live without hot running water, heating, a working bathroom, or a comfortable bedroom. A failure to install suitable drainage to the barn has also left the outside areas as muddy quagmires, rendering Geoff effectively housebound. Geoff’s health is worsening; he chokes multiple times a day and requires round-the-clock care from Margaret. He cannot easily move around his home and much of it will soon become inaccessible to him.
When we heard the news about Geoff and Margaret, we decided that we had to help – in any way that we could, so we got in touch. Pictured are the lovely couple with our man, Daryl, delivering a TV, laptop, printer, kettle and food mixer. Despite their circumstances, the couple made our team feel extremely welcome and we were delighted to be able to help. Geoff and Margaret may only have a few months together so any help that can make their days happier or easier would be so gratefully received; find out how you can help, here.
