We’ve been forced out of our homes after Barry Hearn promised to BUY our village

RESIDENTS in a village say they have been forced out of their homes after boxing legend Barry Hearn promised to buy their town.

Locals in the tiny hamlet of Trevalga, Cornwall, say their rented homes have been allowed to fall to pieces since the estate went on the market for £15.75million last year.

Others claim they were forced out of homes which have then been left empty  – potentially making it easier to sell without tenants.

Hearn, 75, has visited the hamlet twice last year and introduced himself to locals, promising to keep things as they are.

He said: “I’m probably the best news these tenants have had because I want to keep it the way it is.”

The row – dubbed the Battle of Trevalga – dates back to 2010 when elite private school Marlborough College, which was bequeathed the 1,200-acre estate, first tried to sell it off.

Angry neighbours had previously said the ancient hamlet needs to be protected and some said they don’t want celebrities owning the place. 

Locals initially hired lawyers and successfully blocked the sale but say since then they have received few updates with many of the properties allowed to fall into disrepair.

Estate agents Savills said this week the sale is still progressing and rolling maintenance is unchanged.

But Peter Pracownik, who rents the stunning Manor House overlooking the north Cornish coastline, said: “There’s a hole in the roof, there are smashed windows, it just keeps getting worse.

“Savills came out to see our house, we took them all around and showed what problems we had but nothing has been fixed.

“We are just told there is no money to repair anything and if the trust were to do all the work, we wanted they would have to double the rent to pay for it. We can’t afford to pay double.

“We asked if we could move into one of the empty houses, but we were told that wasn’t possible.

“They are just letting everything run down, there are four empty houses now – one has been empty for three years. We can all see what is happening here, we can’t afford to fight them in the courts.

“We can’t carry on living like this. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen to residents here.

"They are supposed to care about the people of Trevalga.”

Peter says Hearn was impressed with his home and said he would have the manor for himself and his adult kids Eddie and Katie.

He added: “Barry Hearn was great, he’s an east end guy but we had a good rapport. He said ‘I want your house’.

“He said he wants everybody to stay and he will do all the repairs. He told us he’s not looking to make money out of it. I don’t mind the village being sold as long as it’s too the right person.”

'HEARTBREAKING'

Another resident Mandy Thompson, 60, said: “They haven’t told us anything at all, we are completely in the dark.

“It is heart breaking what is happening to this place, this is the last little bit of Cornwall that’s just for the locals. It just needs somebody who cares to buy it and bring it back.

“Most of us quite liked Barry Hearn when we met him, he seems to be a straightforward and honest guy.”

The Trevalga estate was previously owned by Gerald Curgenven, a former pupil of Marlborough College, who left the land in this will to the exclusive school in 1959, with the instruction to "preserve it".

Farmer Robert Pethick, 85, who has lived in the village for 62 years, said: “Nothing much has been told to us up to now, we don’t know what’s happening which is frustrating.

“The trustees tried to talk to us before and there was a bit of controversy and now I think they just don’t want to talk to us.

“They say selling it is legally right, but we say it’s morally wrong.”

Some locals have families that go back three generations or more and are now fearing eviction from their homes.

They claim Trevalga is the last remaining place unspoiled by second homes in the county.

Jess Frohlick, 49, grew up in the village and her mum lived in the property until she died in September 2021.

She said: “My mother’s house is still empty nearly 18 months after she passed away, but I know so many people struggling with bad housing and it’s shameful and heart breaking that the good intentions will probably be blown up by second homes for millionaires to play with.

“People are being pushed out and away from their much-loved communities.”

A spokesperson for Savills said, “Tenants will be updated as and when there is any new information. The rolling programme of maintenance is ongoing across the estate and this remains unchanged.”

Barry Hearn was contacted for comment.