Kelvin Fletcher and his wife Liz rediscovered memories from their past as they 'emotionally' looked back on the remains of their home after a devastating fire. Last year, while Kelvin, Liz and their four children were away on holiday, a fire erupted. They're currently reconstructing everything, though it began with sorting through what had survived.
Heartfelt confession during clear-out
In an ITV instalment of Fletchers' Family Farm broadcasting on Sunday, 18 October, Liz made a heartfelt confession while tackling the task with Kelvin that had been on their agenda "for a long time". The pair were sifting through their own property, retrieving whatever could be saved from the wreckage.
"Look how much it has just burnt straight through the wood, that's crazy," she remarked, holding up a wooden frame covered in scorch marks, reports the Mirror. Kelvin narrated: "We may be living back at the farm, but we're still months away from living in the farmhouse following the fire last year."
Discarding baby items and smoke-damaged goods
Given their children had developed considerably over the past year, Liz ended up discarding old nappy bags, baby carriers, and wellington boots that were now too small. 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 baby jackets from when the family were considering relocating to LA before purchasing the farm, Kelvin remarked: "Funny how things turn out, can't throw that!" Sorting through more coats, 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."
Preparing mentally for the rebuild
She continued: "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."
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."
Emotional reflections and looking ahead
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 went on: "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.
