British Family's Decade-long Dream Of Greek Life Destroyed By Wildfire Days Before Move

A British family's plans to relocate permanently to Greece were destroyed just days before their move, after wildfires in the Aigialeia region of the Peloponnese burned down their newly renovated home, according to a report by the UK's Mirror.

Rory Clifford and Stephanie Harper had planned to relocate to Greece later this week, having already shipped their belongings and completed the necessary paperwork for permanent residency. 

The couple bought the property in 2023 and invested more than €300,000 transforming it into what the Mirror described as their ideal countryside home. Their eight-year-old twin daughters had already been enrolled in a local school, and the family was preparing to bring along their three rescue dogs.

The wildfires swept through the area and completely destroyed the house along with all the family's possessions, ending a relocation plan more than a decade in the making.

Ms. Harper, who is pregnant with twins and mother to three other children, described the emotional toll to the Mirror. "We are a very strong family, but this broke us," she said. 

"The grief and emptiness are unbearable. We didn't just lose the home we built — we lost all the memories and the life we had created there."

According to the report, the move was financed through years of savings, loans and proceeds from a bespoke furniture design business the couple ran in Britain, having sold nearly all their assets to fund the relocation. Investments in the property included more than £10,000 spent replacing two kilometers of water pipes needed to supply the house.

The family is now staying in a one-bedroom apartment in Hastings, southeastern England, as they come to terms with the loss.

Διαβάστε περισσότερα στο iefimerida.gr

A British family's plans to relocate permanently to Greece were destroyed just days before their move, after wildfires in the Aigialeia region of the Peloponnese burned down their newly renovated home, according to a report by the UK's Mirror.

Rory Clifford and Stephanie Harper had planned to relocate to Greece later this week, having already shipped their belongings and completed the necessary paperwork for permanent residency. 

The couple bought the property in 2023 and invested more than €300,000 transforming it into what the Mirror described as their ideal countryside home. Their eight-year-old twin daughters had already been enrolled in a local school, and the family was preparing to bring along their three rescue dogs.

The wildfires swept through the area and completely destroyed the house along with all the family's possessions, ending a relocation plan more than a decade in the making.

Ms. Harper, who is pregnant with twins and mother to three other children, described the emotional toll to the Mirror. "We are a very strong family, but this broke us," she said. 

"The grief and emptiness are unbearable. We didn't just lose the home we built — we lost all the memories and the life we had created there."

According to the report, the move was financed through years of savings, loans and proceeds from a bespoke furniture design business the couple ran in Britain, having sold nearly all their assets to fund the relocation. Investments in the property included more than £10,000 spent replacing two kilometers of water pipes needed to supply the house.

The family is now staying in a one-bedroom apartment in Hastings, southeastern England, as they come to terms with the loss.

Διαβάστε περισσότερα στο iefimerida.gr