Elle Edwards' dad claims B&B said 'we don't care' about charity walk
The dad of Elle Edwards has claimed a B&B owner told him she "didn't care" about his walk in memory of his murdered daughter as she turned him away.
Tim Edwards and his friend John May are on the final leg of a 250-mile walk from Merseyside to Land's End to raise money for Elle's foundation. The charity was set up to help other families affected by gun crime in the wake of the 26-year-old's murder on Christmas Eve.
The pair turned up at a pre-booked B&B in Devon on Thursday, only to allegedly be turned away by owners who "heard their Scouse accents". John, who has taken a career break to support Tim, says they then tried to explain the purpose of their walk.
They showed press coverage of their achievements, only to apparently be told: "We don't care about that." The guest house's owners have since apologised to John and Tim.
Tim Edwards and his friend John May are on the final leg of a 250-mile walk (John May)John told the Liverpool Echo: "We had just finished walking and were in the middle of nowhere. We arranged a taxi to come and get us, so called ahead to let the B&B know we were on our way. She asked us if we had been drinking which we hadn't. She rang back and told us 'we have children here'. We knew she was going to be trouble.
Gangland call for ceasefire after killing of Elle Edwards in pub shooting
"It seemed she switched as soon as she heard the accent. When we pulled up her husband came out and started puffing out his chest. I tried to say 'hello sir, how are you' but he just repeated what she had said about it being his house and there were children there. I tried to explain about the walk and showed them the press coverage we have.
"Tim even said 'I'm walking in the name of my daughter' and they said 'we don't care about that'. We didn't even make it through the front door." In an update on its website, TripAdvisor says it has temporarily suspended new reviews for the B&B.
It says: "Due to a recent event that has attracted media attention and has caused an influx of review submissions that do not describe a first-hand experience, we have temporarily suspended publishing new reviews for this listing. If you’ve had a firsthand experience at this property, please check back soon - we’re looking forward to receiving your review!"
Tim vowed to set up the foundation to keep his daughter's name alive (PA)Tim and John set off on the last part of their walking challenge on August 7 and are expected to arrive at Land's End on August 24 - both of their birthdays. The walk aims to not only raise funds for the Elle Edwards Foundation, but also raise awareness about gun and knife crime across the world.
Tim vowed to set up the foundation to keep his daughter's name alive after she was caught in a crossfire of bullets at a pub in Wallasey last year. Following her tragic murder, he described her as "the most beautiful and bright star", who "loved life and had so many amazing plans for the future".
The dad created a GoFundMe page, called Elle's army, dedicated to the cause. John added: "This is Tim's mission and I've taken time out of my life to be here to support my friend. We've been welcomed everywhere we've gone in this amazing part of the country. The way we were spoken to by the couple has tarnished that. We knew in our hearts they didn't want us there because we were Scousers.
"The owner has called us today and apologised. She told us the way she acted was not the kind of person she was. She told us she would make a donation to the fundraiser. I was tossing and turning about bringing the B&B's treatment to attention, but they were aggressive and shouted in our face. They were willing to leave us in the middle of nowhere. We are trying to do amazing things."
The pair were offered alternative accommodation after another hotel spotted their story on social media. The Mirror has been unable to find any contact details for the B&B, which appears to have taken down its social media accounts, while the ECHO repeatedly attempted to contact the owners but did not receive a response.
You can visit Tim's fundraising page here.
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