A CARING granddaughter is in a crucial fundraiser plea for her gran – after her home of 50 years went up in flames from a cigarette allegedly flicked from a neighbour’s balcony.
Kat Pollu was left devastated when beloved gran Inna Shapareva’s house was destroyed in December, after a neighbour supposedly flicked a cigarette which landed on her balcony and set the house ablaze.
Now 25-year-old Kat is in training to run the Brighton marathon and hopes to raise £1,000 to cover the cost of a legal battle after her gran was sued by neighbours below who suffered damage.
The graphic designer was stunned when she was told that her gran would be liable for damage to other people’s homes despite being blameless when it came to the cause.
Kat’s mum Jelizaveta arrived in Narva, Estonia in December to find her mum standing dumbfounded in “a state of complete shock”.
After quitting her job in the United Kingdom, Jelizaveta renovated the apartment with over £17,500 of life savings.
However, the family now face a pricey legal battle after neighbours below sued Inna for the cost of the damage to their roof.
The 83-year-old tried to explain to them what had happened but says the neighbours showed no sign of understanding and proceeded to court.
Initially, Inna was sued for £31,673 but a judge decided to reduce the amount to £9,161 after a second hearing.
The family clubbed together and managed to raise £2,638 to pay off a part of the debt but Inna still has just under £7,000 to pay.
The OAP receives just £439 a month in Estonia for her pension which leaves her little to offer by way of payment to the bill.
Kat has now set up a GoFundMe in the hopes of raising £1,000 to help her beloved gran.
The marathon, which takes place in Brighton, East Sussex this month, will see Kat hope to raise as much money as possible to allow her gran to forget her nightmare.
Speaking today, Kat said: “Initially my Mum and I had been in many conversations about the case and how to pay [the legal bill].
“My partner actually suggested it [the marathon] to me recently when we spoke about me doing a marathon and I realised it was an ideal time to get the story out.
“In total I would like to raise £6,508 and pay off the debt in full, my grandma is in total disbelief about the situation and that people sued her after the damage to her home.
“She finds it very difficult to understand and she would rather sit back and enjoy a warm apartment where she can live peacefully.
“When we try to explain any updates on the case including the fundraiser she gets quiet and sort of smiles but we can see that she doesn’t really want to grasp the situation.
“She has lived in the flat for almost 50 years, it is her birthday next month and she’ll be 84.
“I really want to raise [the money] and awareness about the elderly being treated so unfairly by society.
“This is the first of many fundraisers I’ll be doing across this year to hopefully raise the money.”
If you would like to donate to Kat’s fundraiser you can visit her GoFundMe here: https://gofund.me/89e79ddb.
