Family-of-eight 'being forced out of home' so Church of England owner can sell

23 November 2023 , 06:49

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The family are looking for somewhere else to live (Image: Lancs LIVE)

A distraught family say they are being forced to leave their home, owned by the Diocese of Blackburn, because the church wants to sell it.

For the past six years, the Woodier family have been living in the former vicarage of St Oswald’s Church on Lancaster Road, Knott-End-on-Sea. However, at the end of September the family were given a notice telling them they'll need to vacate within two months due to the Diocese wanting to sell the property.

Fortunately, the moving out day has been extended until April next year, but the family are trapped in a desperate search for somewhere new to live, made more difficult by 10-year-old Toby's rare genetic condition, Syngap1. Parents Helen and Craig knew something was different with Toby from an early age, as he developed speech and movement skills much later compared to his siblings. At first, he was diagnosed with global development delay, but it was only last year when the family finally got the answers they were looking for.

Helen and her 10-year-old son Toby (Lancs LIVE)

They took part in the '100,000 genomes project', a government managed project to study the role our genes play in health and disease. Here, they found out Toby has the rare genetic disorder Syngap1. Helen, 47, told LancsLive: "One of the symptoms is behavioural issues, it's to do with his brain, the make up in his brain, his DNA.

"It's not something he's going to grow out of, he's always going to have these issues. He's always probably going to be non-verbal and he might always be in nappies for the rest of his life like he is now, it's not something he's going to grow out of. Since we've had that diagnosis we've realised that this house is absolutely perfect. It's a detached property, a big garden that he can run around in and the neighbours are good, they can still hear him but not as much as they would."

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Mum Helen Woodier works as an Early Years Practitioner, with her husband Craig a full-time carer for son Toby. The home also has enough space for their four other children. Helen added: "We've got a disabled son who's going to live with us for the rest of his life. He's always going to need support and looking after.

"Part of his condition is that he has severe behavioural issues, basically every day he screams and bangs. It'll be happy screams, it'll be sad screams - he's a very very noisy boy. It makes our situation very difficult, because there's nothing for us to move into." She added: "If we moved into a normal house with close neighbours, we'd be getting complaint after complaint and we'd end up getting evicted after six months - understandably I wouldn't want to listen to that if I was a neighbour."

Siblings eight-year-old Abi and 10-year-old Toby (Lancs LIVE)

Helen says private rentals in the area they live are too expensive for the family - she works full-time but 50-year-old Craig is a full-time carer and currently awaiting spinal surgery. The family also want to stay nearby for the community support and schooling that's benefitted their children, with eight-year-old Abi coming on leaps and bounds after being diagnosed with selective mutism from a young age.

Being supported well by her teachers, the family argue a move would set them back considerably. Toby attends a special school in Kirkham, a little while away for the family, but a taxi service takes him every morning - a routine they're hoping to keep. "We're going to be in the same position in April - I just don't know where we're going to go," Helen continued. "We've got nowhere to go. We've literally got nowhere to go that's going to be suitable for Toby and the rest of the family."

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Blackburn (The Church of England in Lancashire) said: "We are hugely sympathetic to the family's needs but have not had direct contact from them since the initial notice of termination was issued. A further letter was sent to them nearly two weeks ago asking them to get in touch and we have still not heard from them. If they contact us directly, via the details in that letter, it will enable us to agree extensions of the notice period until April 2024.

"We hope that would allow more time to find new accommodation or the potential sale of the property to them; should they be in a position to purchase. The Diocese of Blackburn is a charity that only holds property in connection with its charitable objectives. This is for housing needs of clergy.

"There are sometimes short periods when vicarages are not being used when short tenancies are entered into and tenants are always advised that any tenancy is short-term, for an initial six months and then rolling monthly extensions. In this case the family were informed at the outset of the short-term nature of the tenancy and that they would need to find alternate accommodation in due course. Unfortunately, the diocese can no longer afford to retain this property as funds are needed to pay for a new vicarage in the parish for the new incumbent."

You can view the family's Go Fund Me page here.

Susan Newton