A WELL-KNOWN Forest kitman and his 81 year-old mother thankfully managed to escape a huge fire which gutted their home in Bream this week.

The fire broke out at the home of Chris Farr, who is the kitman of Gloucester City AFC, in the centre of the village on Sunday afternoon (October 29).

Thankfully both Chris and his mum Margaret managed to get to safety, but Margaret had to be taken to hospital for treatment following the incident. She has since been discharged.

With the house extensively damaged in the blaze and the club also losing thousands of pounds worth of equipment, locals and Gloucester City fans have since donated via GoFundMe to help Chris and the club cover some of the costs. 

A spokesperson for the club wrote: “Unfortunately our kit man Chris Farr suffered a catastrophic fire at his house last night, caused by his tumble dryer. Chris’ 81 year old mum remains in hospital after the fire, and we all send her our best wishes.

“As a club, we have unfortunately lost everything from drinks bottles to warm up kit, as well as catapult GPS vests and all the away kit.

“The Gloucester City AFC Supporters Trust have made a donation to help Chris in these most trying of circumstances, and as many people on social media have expressed a wish to help, we’ve made it easy with this gofundme page.

“Any amount, however small, will be a huge help!” 

To donate to help Chris, click here.

So far, more than £4,000 has been raised for Chris, who plays for Bream Cricket Club and is also a former groundsman at Lydney Town FC. 

Lydney posted on X following the fire: “Best wishes to Chris and his family. Our former groundsman and all round helpful guy in Forest sport.”

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service said following the incident: “We were called to a house fire on the High Street in Bream at 12.44pm on 29 October.

“Two engines from Lydney attended and used two hose reels, six breathing apparatus and a thermal imaging camera to fight the fire.

“The stop message was received at 2.26pm.”