AN elderly woman says she’s in “complete shock” after being told she’s being evicted from her home of 27 years.
Anne Allsop, 85, was warned by a church she has just weeks to clear out of her white-washed cottage in Pembrokeshire, Wales – despite previously being told she could live there “until the day she dies”.
Chiefs from the Presbyterian Church of Wales say they’ll sell Anne’s property and another house to a housing association.
It’ll then be put on the market again to provide affordable housing, they claim.
But Anne and son Stephen have called the “no fault” legal eviction notice “appalling” and “immoral”.
“I’ve decorated and I’ve made it my own,” the pensioner said.
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“They told me this was my home and I’ve got it until I die.”
Stephen added: “Legally, it’s 100 per cent legal. Morally, it’s incredibly callous – and even more so considering it’s coming from a church.
“It’s mind blowing what they are doing, I can’t believe it.”
Anne, who lives in the property next to the church in the seaside village of Saundersfoot, only found out when Stephen’s wife, who runs a hair salon, received a message urging the family to call the church.
“It was quite intriguing, there was no hint whether it was good news or bad news or whatever,” he said.
“We phoned and were told that my mother was going to be evicted and that she had six months to get out.”
He immediately asked the church whether he could buy the cottage for his mum to live in.
Officials said he could – but only “once it was sold on the open market”.
“Basically, they want it empty to sell it,” he blasted.
Anne, who has never missed a rent payment, was told she needed to be out of her home by July 21 in a move that came “completely out of the blue.”
And to make matters worse, she said no one from the church has checked in on her since she was informed she’d have to leave.
“All the years that I paid the rent on the dot every month, I kept the garden tidy and then nothing,” she said.
I was told ‘it’s yours until the day you die’. I’m still waiting to die.
Anne Allsop
Pembrokeshire County Council is currently trying to find Anne another home, while Stephen is also searching.
However, the pensioner said many properties currently available are holiday lets, or have stairs which she is unable to tackle.
“I have no place to go,” she said.
“I’m sure there are lots of properties out there to let – but not one for me. I can’t pay £800 to £1,000 a month, there’s no way.
“I was told ‘it’s yours until the day you die’. I’m still waiting to die.
“I feel bloody mad. I’m very angry.”
Stephen said of his mum, who has vowed to stay put for now: “She’s a very strong woman, she’s been through a lot health wise, but her mental strength is stronger than ever.
“The news absolutely broke her to start with, but she’s got through that and now she’s just angry.”
The Welsh Government said it believes that everybody has a right to a decent, affordable home to buy or to rent in their own communities so they can live and work locally.
A spokesperson for Presbyterian Church of Wales added: “It is of great concern to us that the current housing situation in Wales is in crisis.
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“In this particular situation, unfortunately, the church needed to sell the two houses and notice was served in accordance with the law.
“As a church we are delighted that we are from time to time able to sell property to housing associations to provide affordable homes.”
