WORKERS at a care company which faced ruin after fire destroyed their offices have worked hard to raise their business dreams out of the ashes.

On December 2, the offices of Care UK were reduced to ash as a devastating fire tore through the Enterprise Centre in Hoole destroying thousands of documents and leaving the business homeless.

Now, after months of rewriting vital documents and working from their manageress' cramped conservatory, the staff are celebrating moving into their new offices on Sealand Road.

And after watching her business burn to the ground, manager Lorraine Kingham says their determination has made them more successful than ever.

Lorraine, of Newton, Chester, described how she stood watching her business go up in smoke as the fire ripped through the top floor of the building last December.

“I remember I went out in my pyjamas and I was crying. I was watching my whole office burning and in flames that morning. I was in shock.

“I think I have got an amazing team. We have always kept positive, we have had tantrums and tears along the way, but we have picked ourselves up and just got back on with it.

“We spent three weeks working in my little conservatory, then we found this grade two listed cottage. We have moved in now but at first we only had three chairs between six of us, we had to take it in turns to sit on whatever we could.”

And now Lorraine, who has worked as the manager for 11 years, says the business is thriving, with the branch taking on 15 more people and putting more care into the Chester community.

She says the centre's success is due to their new location.

“Now we are on the road side people walk past us – when we were in the centre we were hidden away.

“What happened was really dreadful but despite everything we have come out of it stronger and better.”