Kelvin Fletcher and his wife Liz have spoken about rebuilding their home after a devastating fire last year, in the latest episode of Fletchers' Family Farm. The pair were surveying the remnants of their Peak District property following the blaze, which occurred while Kelvin, Liz and their four children were on holiday.
Sorting through the remains
They are currently reconstructing everything, though first had to tackle sorting through what remained. During an ITV broadcast scheduled for Sunday, 18 October, Liz delivered a heartfelt confession while undertaking the task with Kelvin that had been outstanding "for a long time".
"Look how much it has just burnt straight through the wood, that's crazy," she remarked, while holding up a timber frame covered in scorch marks.
An emotional admission
Kelvin explained: "We may be living back at the farm, but we're still months away from living in the farmhouse following the fire last year." Given their children had developed over the preceding year, Liz ended up discarding old nappy bags, baby carriers, and wellington boots that no longer fitted.
Kelvin continued: "A year and a half since the fire, and we have to throw out everything that has been damaged by the smoke." Lifting one of their children's infant jackets, from when the couple were considering relocating to LA before purchasing the farm, Kelvin observed: "Funny how things turn out, can't throw that!"
Preparing for the rebuild
Sorting through additional jackets, Liz continued: "This is just all the stuff that when the fire brigade had to break in, stuff that was blasted by the door. It's sad because you realise how little the twins were and how this stuff doesn't fit them anymore."
She added: "It's one of those things, you mentally have to prepare yourself for, it's been so long and we've just not been able to do anything because surveys and checks have been done as part of the insurance process. And now we can finally start clearing it out and building it back together."
Building the heart back
Kelvin explained: "Five years on from leaving Oldham, and so much has changed. This farm has given us a new life. And rebuilding the farm house is about building the heart of it back, along with a few old memories that we're rediscovering."
At one moment, Liz remarked: "It's quite emotional actually. It just shows how much time continues no matter what you're going through, things keep going, you've just got to keep yourself." She concluded: "The exciting part is, although this now feels really sombre and quite depressing, but, like my dad always says, you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette, and it feels like we're at that stage at the moment."
Fletchers' Family Farm is available to watch on ITVX.
