“It may only be a small bungalow, but it is my bungalow, my land, my home.”
This is Tom Crawford, a man who made a desperate appeal on YouTube for people to join his protest against being evicted from his home.
The 63-year-old has lived in his bungalow in Carlton, Nottingham, for 25 years.
He has been involved in a legal battle with the defunct building society Bradford and Bingley over a mortgage for years.
Crawford, who has prostate cancer, claims he has paid off his mortgage but Bradford and Bingley claims he still owes £43,000 in repayments and a judge ruled the grandfather-of-two had to pay off the entire amount by 9am on Wednesday.
Desperate, Crawford posted a message on YouTube on 2 July offering people a “lovely cup of tea” if they joined his protest against a planned eviction.
“Please come and help us. But don’t use violence. They are the ones who use violence. This is a war for the people,” he said.
“It may only be a small bungalow, but it is my bungalow, my land, my home.”
Newsteam / SWNS
The video quickly spread across social media sites such as Facebook and on Thursday 200 strangers turned up to help him.
People traveled for miles to join the protest, some even coming from as far away as Glasgow.
Newsteam / SWNS
An hour-and-a-half standoff then ensued before the bailiffs left empty-handed.
Newsteam / SWNS