88-year-old woman left 'very distressed' as tree falls onto her property leaving her unable to return after hospital stay

An 88-year-old woman from Stilton has been left “very distressed”, according to friends, after finding herself unable to retrun home from hospital due to a large tree falling through the roof of her bungalow.

Doreen Clarke is currently a patient at Peterborough City Hospital but has been forced to remain there- despite being ready to be discharged- after her property was significantly by a falling tree.

The tree fell onto the roof of her property on Church Close in Stilton last Monday (April 15).

Doreen was in hospital at the time but neighbour and friend Muriel had a lucky escape when the tree actually fell. If it were not for making her deciding to make a phone call, she would have been right in the kitchen- the room worst affected- when the tree collapsed.

Muriel had gone round, as she has been doing twice a day to feed Doreen’s elderly cats Barney (15) and Lulu).

She said: “I was running a bit late to get round and feed the cats but before I went round, I decided to phone Shirley (88) as I hadn’t heard from her and her son was on holiday.

So, I stopped to ring her but as I was talking to her, I heard this banging on the window and it was my friend Jenny who said ‘quick Muriel, there’s a tree fallen on Doreen’s bungalow.’

“So, I rushed round and there was this massive tree right in the kitchen. my first thought was to save the cats. So I went in a got them out to safety, my husband Tony had to step over the tree to get the food out but then we started to see smoke coming out of the side of the bungalow.

"I had a very lucky escape, if I hadn’t have rung Shirley, I would have been in the kitchen when it came down!

The cats are now being cared for elsewhere by kind volunteers from The Cinnamon Trust, who came to collect the cats.

Doreen’s close network of neighbours, which she relies on, have also been prevented from re-entering the property to rescue her precious possessions, a family bible and her wedding dress, as well as getting her extra clothes she needs while she remains in hospital.

Cathy, another friend of Doreen’s has also been unable to get into the bungalow to find the bills pay them for her as she normally does.

Doreen was due to be released in hospital at the bed on the ward is needed but her discharge has been delayed while the hospital searches for a home she can be discharged into.

Friends have said this has left feeling “very distressed.”

Muriel added: “She’s just had a new hospital bed delivered she brought for a lot of money. The kitchen is completely ruined.

“The tree is enormous, it’s in the kitchen, the branches are through the ceiling and there’s a big hole that has not been covered. Everything will be completely ruined.

“The fridge and freezers were fully stocked as she was due to be coming out but that will be all ruined now as the fire brigade turned off all the gas and electrics.

“Poor Doreen has has such a lot of medical problems. She’s got ulcerated legs and a heart condition. She was crying when she heard. She now has to go into a home, which she never wanted to do. She’s very, very distressed.

“I’ve told her to look at the home as a holiday and when she comes out the bungalow will be done. When will that be though?

"In the meantime, costs are all mounting up. God knows how much it’s going to cost her altogether and whether she can afford it.”

The property is currently fenced off but the tree remains on top of the property with Doreen’s friends and family left waiting as to when work will start to restore the property.

A spokesperson for Places for People said: “The tree fell onto our customer’s home from private land after some windy conditions, thankfully the home was empty at the time.

“Safety is our top priority and we have made sure the area is secure and that the customer has suitable alternative accommodation whilst their home is repaired. The tree will remain in place until

we have been able to carry out a full assessment so we can decide on our next steps to safely remove the tree and repair the damage.

“We are supporting our customer through this and remain in frequent contact with them.”