Christmas came early for a trio of Fife brothers who lost all their much-loved toys in a fire.
For seven-year-old twins Ryan and Benjamin Rafferty and their younger brother Kian, five, have enjoyed a supermarket sweep of Kirkcaldy’s Toys R Us store.
It was a surprise for the youngsters, who are still living with parents Elaine and David in temporary accommodation after an explosion saw a fire sweep through their Ballingry home in September.
For the family, the blaze was the latest tragedy in what has been a challenging year. The boys’ grandfather Hugh Rafferty passed away and Kian has suffered medical problems, having been born with a very rare condition called bladder exstrophy, where the bladder does not form properly.
His courage saw him named as child of achievement at this year’s Kingdom FM local heroes awards.
The fire happened on a Saturday when the family were at East End Park, Dunfermline, enjoying a day out which had been organised for them.
The first they knew anything was amiss was when David took a call from a family member who said a window appeared to be hanging out of their home.
“We initially thought someone was trying to break in but then we got the phone call to say the fire brigade was there.”
While Elaine stayed at the football ground, trying to keep things normal for the boys, David raced back to find their home devastated. “The fire was out by that time but there was smoke damage,” he said.
“The kitchen, where it had happened, was a write-off.”
Sadly, the extensive smoke damage meant the youngsters had to throw out their soft toys, many with sentimental value, because of the threat of toxins. Elaine added: “We told the boys that Santa may not be able to come this year.”
However, Kingdom Kids stepped in, surprising the Benarty Primary youngsters with a magical mystery tour before enjoying a shopping spree, where they loaded up goodies including Lego and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Elaine added: It’s been an emotional day but a happy one, especially seeing the boys’ faces light up. The experience means the world to them.”