Campaigner calls for urgent help from the council as she battles to run her own estate in Harborough

A campaigner is calling for urgent help from the council as she battles to run her own estate in Market Harborough.

Lara Raffaelli, 53, has issued her heartfelt plea three months after spearheading a fight to wrest control of a chunk of Farndon Fields from management company Chamonix Estates.

“We are thrilled to have taken over responsibilty for our own homes and our own backyard from Chamonix," the South African-born journalist and gardener told the Harborough Mail.

“But the immense challenge of managing and looking after Farndon Fields is proving anything but straightforward.

“It would have been hard enough without the Covid-19 pandemic but this continuing crisis has made our task so much tougher.”

Lara, of Angell Drive, Farndon Fields, said she was “very disappointed” that Harborough District Council has adopted the Kibworth Meadows development in Kibworth but not theirs.

“We met Cllr Phil King in March to discuss our position and he seemed very keen to get behind us.

“But, unfortunately, we don’t seem to have made any progress,” said the mum-of-one.

“We did ask the council for a quote to do our gardening here on the estate, for instance.

“But it was too high so we’ve had to go with a private contractor instead.

“It’s a real pity we have had to go down that route.

“But we are still very keen to talk to the council to explore how we can work together.”

Lara, online chief editor at a South Africa-based education institution and garden designer, is also urging the 48 residents on her phase two of Farndon Fields to support her.

“I work alongside one other director and that’s it – there’s just us.

“We are working our socks off to keep people here bang up to date with what we are doing,” she insisted.

“We have hand-delivered letters to householders and brought in our own electricians, gardeners, cleaners, maintenance staff and handymen.

“We have also had one hell of a job trying to set up new bank accounts to handle payments during the coronavirus crisis with high street banks backing off.

“So it’s been shocking and very unpleasant to receive abuse from our own residents.

“We’ve been dubbed ‘inept’ and ‘incompetent’ which is very difficult to take.

“We are getting vital work such as checking and mending bollard lights done here.

“We are helping the environment by drafting in local workers.

“We are boosting the local economy at the same time.

“And, everything being equal, residents will save hundreds of pounds next year because they won’t be paying 60 per cent management fees that Chamonix used to charge.

“So we are simply asking the people here to appreciate the blood, sweat and tears we are putting in day in day out on your behalf.

“So please give us your support and let’s go forward side by side!”

Lara, who’s also helping to care for her 80-year-old mum, is now urging people who would like to help to email her at:

[email protected]

Cllr Phil King, the leader of Harborough council, said: “This isn’t a straightforward situation.

“It’s quite a complicated set-up at Farndon Fields.

“But I am very happy to talk to Lara to see if we can help her and her colleagues out in the future.”

He added: “I will talk to our officers and the cabinet member who looks after these issues and we will investigate all possibilities.”