Leeds United co-owner donates £5k for supporter after 'sleepless nights' and eviction stress
Leeds United co-owner and NBA star Larry Nance Jr has donated £5k to the plight of a Whites supporter going through a housing nightmare.
Visually-impaired Leeds fan John Roche and his wife Cath have had sleepless nights after being told to find a new home for them and their guide dogs. The pair have lived in privately rented accommodation in Blackpool for the last 14 years and know the house and the area like the back of their hands. But John and Cath, who is also blind, have been hit with a 'no fault eviction' notice and informed that their home had been repossessed by the bank from their previous landlord. The notice gave them two months to find new accommodation and the situation has led to inevitable stress, particularly over the potential loss of their guide dogs should they not be able to provide a permanent residency for them all.
"My wife and I are both blind, with two guide dogs," he told the YEP. "The landlord's properties were repossessed and then the banks took over and first of all they put it up for sale and then in the last couple of weeks they sent us a no fault section 21 which means we've two months to get out of the property. It is stressful. We've had a few sleepless nights but especially because of the dogs - if we don't have a permanent residency they can take them off us temporarily until we find somewhere permanent.”
A lady previously unknown to the couple saw their story, which has attracted media attention in Lancashire and West Yorkshire, and set up a GoFundMe page which stood at £2,450 this morning but now sits at £9,500. A number of Leeds supporters have donated and appealed to various club figures to help, which led to Nance’s generous addition to the fund. The Atlanta Hawks star, who joined 49ers Enterprises investment vehicle to become a co-owner of Leeds United, has built a reputation for generosity among supporters of his football club.
The hope is that enough will be raised that they can attempt to buy their house from the bank to continue living there. A statement on the GoFundMe page reads: "After John and Cath spoke to ITV News they were advised the sale of the property had been 'paused' but this is still currently listed on an estate agent website as for sale at £135,00, which they have stated is negotiable. If the fundraising amount is met they could stay in their home and the funds would be paid to the bank accordingly. We have a very long way to go to meet the target for this couple but hoping that there are enough generous people out there that will be willing to donate, no matter what amount it will all help and will be greatly appreciated by Cath and John."
To visit the page for more information or to donate click HERE