A TEACHING assistant from a Trowbridge school is thanking everyone who has rallied around her and her family after a fire destroyed their home.

Catherine Tozer, 47, was in the thatched cottage in Mells with her son Jordan, 19, when a fire started, caused by a fault in a fuse box, which led to the house going up in flames.

Staff, parents and pupils at The Grove School on Hazel Grove, where she has worked for 16 years, have begun a fundraising page to help Mrs Tozer as she struggles to replace items lost in the flames.

Talking about the March 13 fire, she explained: “I was doing some work on my degree when the lights went out, I thought nothing of it and lit candles.

“Suddenly there was an explosion and a fire started. My son was asleep upstairs. It was absolutely terrifying. We have lost so much to the fire. The house has been in my family for generations, it was more than just stuff, it was memories,” Mrs Tozer said.

“The house isn’t just bricks and mortar, it’s my home and it is all my family’s memories. I am devastated after what has happened, I cannot even bear to look at it. I walk up the drive and I just cannot stand the sight of it.”

Mrs Tozer praised the hard work of firefighters from both Devon and Somerset and Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue, who were on the scene for almost two days, until the morning of March 15.

“They worked tirelessly for over 24 hours, trying to save as much as they could. They got my laptop which has all of my work on and family photos and paintings which are irreplaceable. I am so overwhelmed with all the effort they put in and the support I have received from my colleagues and my family, I knew I had good friends,” added Mrs Tozer.

“We will go on, we will rebuild, it may take a while but we are strong enough to do it. I just want to say thank you to everyone who is there for me. The support has just been totally overwhelming.”

Jackie Hamdia, 43, of Cavell Court, Trowbridge, decided to start the fundraising page as Mrs Tozer had been the TA for her children Sophie, 11, and Ashraf, 10.

“Her family has lost absolutely everything. She has helped my children so much over the past eight years as well as a lot of other pupils from The Grove so it is really the least we could do,” she said.

After just four days, the Go Fund Me page has already raised £636 out of a target of £5,000, with the aim of making sure every penny will go towards helping Mrs Tozer piece her life back together after the tragedy.

Kate Wilkins, head teacher at The Grove, on Hazel Grove, said: “It is a shocking thing to happen to her and her family. Everybody at the school has been thinking about her and doing whatever they can to support her at this time. We have been able to talk to Cathy and what we are saying is there will be different stages of this for her.

“It is still quite fresh and it is a really sensitive time for her.”

To make a donation visit www.gofundme.com/help-our-ta.