Midhurst residents made homeless and jobless by Angel Hotel inferno issue statement

Emergency services were called to The Angel Inn in North Street just after 1am on Thursday (March 16) to a fire which tore through the building and its neighbours and shocking the community.

More than 30 refugees had been staying at the hotel and have now been safely rehoused by West Sussex County Council. Business owners in The Olive and Vine lost their homes and a business which had taken years to build.

Jess Brown-Fuller set up a fundraiser in the hours after the incident. In less than 24 hours more than £7,000 was raised and today (Monday, March 20) that total has soared to £15,000.

The owners of the Olive and Vine have thanked the community for its incredible support and what it was like to watch their entire lives ‘burn away’.

The owners of the Olive and Vine have said in a statement: “The Olive and Vine team would like to thank everybody for the outpouring of love and support that we have been shown, both personally and professionally, since our lives were upended in the middle of the night on Thursday 16th March.

"It is an impossible feeling to describe, standing on the street, watching your entire life burn away, knowing you have nothing left but the clothes on your back. The Olive & Vine was never just a business to us – it has been our passion project since we took it over in 2018. With funds always tight, we have worked 60 hour weeks, not just running the business but also as bookeepers, carpenters and builders, just to survive.

"Friends and family have been instrumental in helping us renovate the restaurant in our vision. We have fought through forced closures with the pandemic, the rise of food costs and the exponential increase in our utility bills and we had just survived through a tough winter, when footfall through the town always drops dramatically.

"The future was bright, the Summer was just round the corner, we had noticed an increase in customers in the last week, the town was starting to buzz again and we had just filed planning permission to extend the restaurant into the shop next door to increase our visibility on the high street. Our ethics and values as people resonated though our small local business and through our incredible team of staff, who we have viewed as our family for so long.

"Every coffee, cocktail and meal we have served has been with our passion and love for our very special restaurant. We have no idea what the future holds with the Olive & Vine.”