RESIDENTS of a village where a 56-year-old woman died following a house fire will be donating more than £4,000 to her family.

Charmaine Slater, a wife, mother and grandmother from Caldicot, died on Thursday May 28 after a fire broke out at her home in Deepweir.

Since then, more than 200 Caldicot residents have donated to a GoFundMe page set up to honour Mrs Slater and support her family.

One of three organisers, Chloe Collier - who lives on the same cul-de-sac where the incident happened, explained the community’s reaction.

“On Friday, the day after the fire, we walked around the village and collected clothes and furniture donations for the family and asked whether people wanted to donate money,” she said.

“It became apparent quite quickly on social media too that people were just trying to do anything they could to help, and we felt we needed a donations page.

“Rachel Furmage at Caldicot Community Working Together helped us put together the page and it took off from there. After we put the post up on the Friday it just went crazy with donations.”

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The residents surpassed their target of £2,000 in a matter of hours, and the fundraising effort has currently brought in almost £4,100.

Mrs Slater's family did not wish to comment beyond expressing thanks to the community for their generosity.

Ms Collier said the focus of the fundraising effort is Mrs Slater's family and not the those who had organised it.

If you would like to donate via the GoFundMe page, you can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/deepweir-house-fire-fundraiser

The day after the fire Mrs Slater’s family issued a poignant tribute: “For those who knew Charmaine knew she was a loving mother, grandmother and wife.

"Charmaine absolutely loved her music and would often ride her mobility scooter to the shops, blasting her favourite reggae tunes.

"We cannot thank the community enough for all their kind words and gestures, but ask for privacy during this time so we can begin to process our shock and grief."

An investigation continues to determine the cause of the fire.