Latest news with #widower
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Man who sold family home to HS2 for £1.2m discovers it was being used as cannabis farm
A widower who sold his home to HS2 shortly after his wife died from pancreatic cancer has discovered it was turned into a cannabis farm. Alan Wilkinson, 85, bought Ravenswood in the late 1970s and settled there with his wife Gillian. The couple enjoyed the four-bedroomed property, adding a swimming pool and new kitchen to it, for roughly four decades before deciding to sell in the wake of HS2 plans. By 2019 bosses at HS2 planned to build a tunnel underneath Whitmore Heath in Staffordshire, the hillside village where the property lay. Mr and Mrs Wilkinson were considering moving to a smaller home at the time, and when they learnt of the proposed developments entered negotiations to sell up. But in a double tragedy Mrs Wilkinson died two weeks before the sale was finalised and the planned stretch of HS2 line connecting Birmingham to Manchester was cancelled. After buying the property from the Wilkinsons for £1.2 million, HS2 executives decided to use an external agency to let the property out. Darren Pinnington, 32, from Liverpool rented the property but by November 2022 was using it to grow cannabis. Pinnington was caught when two Jehovah witnesses approached the property hoping to find a convert and smelt the aroma of cannabis wafting in the air. He now awaits sentence at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court later this year after pleading guilty to being concerned in the production of cannabis. Mr Wilkinson, who is too distressed to return to his old home after learning what became of it, told the Independent: 'It's terrible. 'I feel awful, truthfully, about what's happened. I lived there for 30 years; it was a great chunk of my life, a beautiful house, and now it's sitting empty, abandoned. 'I can't bear to go back, so many memories there with my wife, all gone. I hear rumours it's going to be knocked flat and rebuilt.' Though he was not required to sell to make way for the HS2 development under a compulsory purchase scheme, Mr Wilkinson feels the project ruined the village. He added: 'HS2 destroyed our village. It was a fine community where people who had made it had gone to live. 'But the plans for the line tore it apart, more than a dozen people died while waiting to sell their homes.' HS2's plans would have seen a tunnel built roughly 100 feet or 30 metres beneath Whitmore Heath. The plans would not have forced anyone out of their homes, but Mr Wilkinson and his late wife felt the project would detract from their enjoyment of the area. Owing to the damage caused to the property by Pinnington's cannabis farm HS2 cannot relet the property because repair works would cost too much. In a statement, a spokeswoman for HS2 said: 'We recognised Mr Wilkinson's difficult situation and he accepted our offer in 2019 to buy his home through HS2's Special Circumstances Scheme, under which we covered moving costs, paid stamp duty and legal fees. 'We utterly condemn the illegal use of property - acquired by the project - being used as a cannabis farm. It was let on the open rental market, and managed by property agents, to help recoup costs to the taxpayer. 'We have been unable to relet the property since the farm was closed down by police because the costs of returning it to a lettable state are too great. The area is patrolled by our private security teams who work closely with Staffordshire Constabulary.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
One of my friends died before a group trip to Dubai - why is it so tricky to sort with the travel firm? SALLY SORTS IT
We had three bookings made with travel company Voyage Prive made last autumn totalling £24,260. These were made for my 60th birthday celebrations in Dubai but it became a nightmare to resolve the final bills following the tragic death of one of my friends who was due to come with us. J.H., Bolton. Sally Hamilton replies: What you planned as a joyous occasion has been clouded in sadness. Your dear friend died of suspected food poisoning while on holiday in the Indian Ocean at the end of last year. You considered cancelling your five-day trip but decided as a group to go ahead and celebrate her memory at the same time. Her widower told you that's what she would have wanted. He had to make a claim on her travel insurance for her £1,200 deposit. But you were astounded that Voyage Prive would not confirm that the member of your party who was due to share a room with your late friend would have her booking altered to single occupancy – and it looked as if she would be charged the full rate for the double room – £6,798. You had been corresponding at length with customer services but not getting any clarity, despite an initial sympathetic response. You had to send the death certificate twice and you chased for weeks. Without a clear resolution you asked me to intervene. When I got in touch, David, a member of the Voyage Prive team simply said 'there's no need to worry… everything is in order' and wished me a lovely day. That wasn't the concrete answer I had hoped for but I felt reassured that at least your case was being looked at. My contact seemed to do the trick, however, as a week or so later you got confirmation that your friend would not face the full double room charge. The holiday firm was probably having to negotiate hard with the hotel on the price. In the end, she was billed just £3,456 – less than you had calculated, with no extra charges for sole occupancy. You feared this meant there might be some nasty additional charges waiting at the destination, but thankfully these did not materialise. When I caught up with you recently, you said the trip had been 'amazing' – and you forwarded me a photo of the group toasting your friend's memory. Straight to the point I took out a single-trip travel insurance policy in April for me and my wife with Insurance 4 Medical, and I declared all our medical conditions. A few days before the cover was meant to start my wife developed swollen ankles, which our doctor said he would investigate if it was still happening after our holiday. I told the insurance provider but they cancelled her cover. She will now have to answer 'yes' when future insurers ask if she has had an insurance policy cancelled. G.R., via email. Sally Hamilton replies: White Horse, Insurance 4 Medical's underwriter, apologises and says the new undiagnosed medical condition meant cover had to be withdrawn. It will refund the premium and it will provide a letter of explanation that cover was cancelled due to a change in risk, rather than fraud or non-disclosure. I bought an oven from Currys which was installed by an electrician, but 30 days later it caught fire. As it was a bank holiday, I reported it the next day but Currys said as I reported it on day 31 after it was installed I had to speak to the manufacturer to get an inspection before they could take it back. But the manufacturer says it won't inspect it, only repair it. I've had to buy a new oven out of my own pocket in the meantime. I.S., via email. Sally Hamilton replies: Currys apologises and says it is refunding you as a goodwill gesture, even though your initial report of the fault fell outside the 30-day return window. Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@ — include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given.
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
"I just want to go home with my dog": Widower's desperate attempt to return to UK after tragic death of husband
A Cheshire man who made a home in the US is appealing for help to return home with his beloved dog after the death of his husband. Robert Washington-Nance, 53, moved to the States in 2015 to marry his partner, Brad Nance, after the legalisation of same-sex marriage by President Barack Obama's regime. But financial hardship after he became a widower means he now hopes to go back to the UK. Robert, originally from Chester, who has also lived in Ellesmere Port, said: 'I never expected to fall in love and get married in the USA. We built our life together across two countries before finally being able to marry.' READ MORE: The full details of Anti A-Team gangster Jamie Rothwell's criminality has finally emerged READ MORE: 'If they told us how much we owed, we'd pay it back': Councillors 'overpaid' for years speak out Never miss a story with the MEN's daily Catch Up newsletter - get it in your inbox by signing up here He is making a plea for assistance to go back to his native UK with his 10-year-old rescue dog, Bronco, after the death of his husband and years of financial struggle in the United States. In 2018 Brad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a disease with a survival rate of just 2 percent. After major surgery and chemotherapy, Brad was briefly given the all-clear, but the cancer returned aggressively in 2019. He died on July 11, 2020, at the age of 56. Without access to US survivor benefits and facing soaring living costs, Robert declared himself bankrupt in January 2025. He has since struggled to cover basic expenses while caring for Bronco, the Yorkie mix they rescued as a puppy. Robert now hopes to return to the UK to rebuild his life. His plan includes renewing his passport, obtaining a pet passport for Bronco, and travelling by ship from New York to Southampton — a safer alternative for his dog than a transatlantic flight. 'I've lived in Ellesmere Port, worked in Portsmouth with the Royal Navy, and spent years in London,' Robert said. 'The UK is where my roots are. I just want to go home with my dog and start over in peace.' Living in Indian Springs, Nevada, Robert said: "Losing Brad was the hardest thing I've ever faced. Since then, life in the US has been incredibly difficult. As a widower, I've been navigating grief alone with my loyal little dog - a sweet Yorkie mix I've had since he was three months old. He's been my lifeline through this loss, the only reason I've kept going. "Unfortunately, I am not eligible for widower's pension here, and the cost of living and healthcare keeps rising, I had hoped to build a life here in Brad's memory, but I now realise that I need to return home to the UK, where I was born and raised - to be closer to family support, and familiar surroundings. "I'm asking for help to cover the travel expenses for me and Bronco to get safely back to the UK. I'm hoping to travel by cruise ship from New York to Southampton so Bronco doesn't have to endure the stress of flying in cargo. I also need to renew my British passport, obtain a pet passport for Bronco, and bring Brad's ashes home with me - something that is deeply important to me." Robert has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover the costs, including travel and initial living expenses upon arrival in the UK. GoFundMe link:
Globe and Mail
06-08-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
What this semi-retired accountant did with $3-million from multiple inheritances
The beneficiary: 'Brian,' as we'll call him, is a self-described 'middle-aged accountant in the suburbs.' More specifically, he's 56, semi-retired in Ontario and, since his beloved wife died far too young, a widower. Together they have one grown newlywed daughter who will someday inherit everything that Brian's got left over – but hopefully not any time soon. In the meantime, should Brian tell his 30-year-old daughter what's coming? The inheritance: As an only child with a handful of childless uncles, Brian was well-positioned 'at the tip of a funnel' to inherit the extended-family fortune – if there was one. 'I never really talked to my parents or anyone about money or wills, it just wasn't a subject of discussion,' says Brian, who had an inkling cash could be coming his way but was also well aware it could just as easily go to charity when the time came. 'I sort of half-expected that money was coming, which isn't enough, so I prepared for life without it.' Brian went to business school and became an accountant, both of which proved very helpful when an ample inheritance indeed came his way. Brian and his late wife received a series of lump sums: First, a couple hundred grand from his mother-in-law; next, $800,000 from his father who'd accumulated wealth through home ownership; and finally, a series of lump sums from extended family. All this added up to a collective amount of almost $3-million, which Brian and his wife considered communal. 'We always operated as a family and pooled all our money,' he says. 'Fortunately, we very much saw eye-to-eye when it comes to money. I'm an accountant; she was a much better accountant.' What they did with it: The money-savvy couple did exactly what they would have advised their clients: 'Primarily, we stuck it in the bank in GICs, mutual funds – the regular stuff,' says Brian. They paid off their car loans and started making maximum (and additional, direct-to-the-principal) payments on their mortgage. 'Once those were gone, our income stayed the same but the expenses dropped way down.' The couple was newly flush but not quite sure how to actually enjoy their money. 'We weren't three-weeks-in-Bali people anyway, but with more money in the bank, we did try to travel more and have a little bit more fun,' he says. The pair took a big trip throughout Western Canada and his wife splurged on the motorcycle she always wanted. Good thing, too, since the couple was soon sidelined by his wife's cancer diagnosis. In retrospect, those so-called 'splurges' were money well spent. 'I'm so happy I get to say I don't think we missed out on much,' says Brian, who's trying to keep the life-is-for-living sentiment in mind going forward – within reason. 'If I want to enjoy myself, I do. If I want an expensive bottle of wine, I get it,' he says. 'But I also think it's my responsibility to pass on more than I got.' For that, he's since invested in stocks that pay decent dividends. The revelation: A generation later, Brian's in a similar position as his parents once were and wrestling with the same question about when and how to pass along the family money. 'I consider myself in charge, at the moment, but I realize that will change,' he says. Like his parents, Brian's been deliberately vague about how much money he's got and how much is likely coming his daughter's way – though in this case his money (literally) talks. 'I give [my daughter] enough so she knows that Dad's not hurting, but not enough that Dad's bleeding money,' he says. He paid for her wedding, for example, and gifted the newly married couple a generous cheque – plus a note about how he'd like to discuss what they might do with it (ideally, in his opinion, home ownership). But that conversation hasn't happened yet, and since he values his close relationship with his daughter over all else, Brian isn't pushing it. Were his daughter to give every penny of the family fortune away to charity, which she might, Brian's long accepted that that's their prerogative – as it was his. 'It'd be none of my business,' he says. 'I won't be in charge anymore and I won't reach out from the grave either.' Some details may be changed to protect the privacy of the person profiled. We want to thank them for sharing their story. Have you recently received an inheritance and would like to participate in Inherited? Send us an e-mail.
Washington Post
01-08-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Asking Eric: After wife's death, I'm not ready for visits from her kids yet
Dear Eric: My wife recently passed away and I am doing okay. Several of my wife's senior children keep wanting to come and visit me. How do I politely say no without hurting their feelings? When they have come before, I was stressed as to how to entertain them for a week. They think I am being helped by their visit but actually I would prefer visiting by phone and emails. Any suggestions?
