Eviction of Mrs Appleton (collector of dolls and memrabelia) and her three sons

So now a lady who hoards momentos is compared with people who are drunk and urinate in a living room, nasty comparison

I suspect that what happened to her was the last resort of an exasperated council. We don't know what lengths they'd been to before this. I really don't imagine that this was what anyone wanted to happen. Sensationalist media looking for a dramatic true life story and most likely glossing over quite a lot.

I agree jane I expect other avenues had been explored and it was the last resort.Sad case.

There is an updated statement froom Weavervale Housing www.wvht.co.uk/
They have met with the family today 26 They have put 27th

Statement from Steve Jennings, Chief Executive of Weaver Vale Housing Trust:

During a meeting on Saturday 27th March, Weaver Vale Housing Trust along with the local Vicar offered Mrs. Appleton the opportunity to return to the property as soon as practically possible.

Mrs. Appleton’s return would be subject to the house being made safe and for some items in the home to be placed in safe storage in line with previous requests made to the family.

While work is being carried out on the home Mrs Appleton is considering the offer of alternative local accommodation. We are pleased that the family and Weaver Vale Housing Trust have started this dialogue and we hope to now work together to resolve the difficulties at the house.

The Appleton family is now considering this solution

Great

I think the local primary school could help Mrs. Appleton if she was allowed to take her dolls to a suitable class and tell their story. If the children liked the dolls Mrs. Appleton might let them go for adoption! Then the children who had the dolls could write a card to her once a term telling her how the doll was getting on. Lets hope the vicar is successful.

Whatever the rights and wrongs (and I do see the risk of fire, the concerns of neighbours etc etc) I do think to break in to an old lady's house and frighten her half to death is not something that we, as a nation, can be proud of.

Exactly, Jane. A 'three year eviction battle' doesn't suggest that the council acted without taking all the legal routes to try and resolve the situation. I suspect that as usual the public's just being fed the bare bones of the case in order to sensationalise the story.

Thank you EmilyHarburn - it's exactly as some of us thought, no question of the old lady being thrown onto the streets because of a heartless council's actions.

I am so glad this has not been the heartless and heart-rending story the DM perhaps first wanted to publish.
Another case of "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story"?
Bottom line is a happy ending for which I rejoice.

I hope she will make the right decision for herself with support from someone who cares about her not the rule book

She's got three sons who should have been caring about her more before the situation got this bad, learning difficulties or not. They should have sought help.

Could well be they didn't disobey her or thought she was right, we cannot judge them surely, we know nothing of them , and if they didn't think help was needed why ask for it

Er...you'd think the threat of eviction would be a clue that she needed help, surely?

As I don't know them Ana I cannot say what they be expected to think, perhaps you have never knew a family where an adult son would never do anything against his mother's wishes. She may rule her sons completely, they may have agreed to support her and fight the authorities, i do know people do not always do what we would do or what we expect them to do or think what they should do.

Poor old soul, I do hope she gets the help that she obviously needs.

Of course, if she had her own very large house with plenty of room to display the items she could charge people for entry to her 'museum'.

From the NT website:

Snowshill Manor is a Cotswold manor house packed with extraordinary treasures collected over a life time by Charles Wade

Charles had so many collectables that he had to move out of the house and into the adjacent cottage.

Anniebach I was not making teh comparisons you suggested.

I was stating a fact in that sometimes a tenants behaviour is so potentially dangerous to themselves or totally anti social towards others that serious action has to be taken.

The housing authority concerned has probably made as much effort as possible to protect the privacy of the family concerned.
The public rightly do not get the full details of the issues of concern that led the housing association to take this action. We annot and should not know the details.

This case is another situation where local press can tell sad heart rending tales about how mean the housing is being to the family with impunity.
What about those sons? I am quite sure they had some responsibilty to keep this property in good order. What the heck were they doing?

Emilyharburn Your points are sound but as for help for the family with things like this older persons social work services have been cut to the bone and barely function as it is.
Social workers in older persons teams were being made redundant in that area back in 2010 and largely replaced by box ticking clerical staff.

Jalima Thank you so much for pointing out Charles Wade of the National Trust Snowshill Manor was a 'collector' He actually lived in the priests house in the court yard leaving the manor to be filled with treasures. Marvellous.

www.mysteriouspeople.com/Cotswolds_mystery.htm

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/snowshill-manor-and-garden

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowshill_Manor

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Paget_Wade
uk.pinterest.com/pin/568086940470367262/

walkingwilkes.co.uk/2015/11/01/snowshill-manor-near-broadway-cotswolds/

This appears to describe the UK law on hoarding.

KEEP CALM HOARDING LAW

www.keepcalmtalklaw.co.uk/hoarding-posession-for-possessions/

The family seem to have refused all offers of help from the council, social services and the local church. Help has been offered to store things in a safer manner and the council even offered to instal a sprinkler system. I'm not saying that bailiffs breaking down your door is the answer, but the council seem to have tried every other avenue to resolve this situation. They have responsibilities to their other tenants as well.

Reminds me of Mr Trebus. They made a TV documentary about his struggle to live how he wanted.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Trebus

Emily - thanks for link, enlightening for me.

We keep meaning to vist Snowshill, must do it soon!( before the collection topples on top of visitors.)

Mr Trebus died so soon after being forced frim his home and forced into s nursing home. The very same happened in the village where I use to live, a gentleman lived alone, didn't mix with anyone, his house had been in his family for quite s few generations, quite a large house and a lot of ground, he was forced out on grounds of his life style was not good for his health, he escaped from the nursing home twice and walked ten miles home, they moved him further away, he didn't live very long, less than a year, his house and grounds were sold and bought by a couple who were friends of the health inspector who moved the gentleman into the nursing home

Mr trebus was such a lovely old fellow and reminded me of my dad with his accent and all.