An Oakworth pensioner whose house was gutted in an arson attack has issued a public ‘thank-you’ to everyone who helped her.

Dorothy Lund voiced her heartfelt thanks to family and friends this week after moving back into her Harewood Crescent home.

She wrote to the Keighley News to acknowledge the people who supported her during her seven months living in alternative accommodation.

She said: “We hear so much about the badness in today’s society, and I have witnessed the enormous damage someone’s brief actions could cause.

“But I have also witnessed the kindness and goodness of more people, and for that we can all be thankful. Keighley is still a good place to live in!”

Dorothy, a Methodist preacher, had to move out after an intruder set light to her living room after making off with a laptop, camera and gold watch.

Luckily, Dorothy was not at home during the incident, but the ground floor was gutted and other rooms were heavily smoke-damaged.

Neighbours, who saw flames in the living room, threw buckets of water through the window before firefighters arrived.

Dorothy moved into a house owned by her family in Fell Lane for seven months, while contractors funded by her insurance company cleaned, repaired and redecorated her house.

She said: “There was a hole in the ceiling and floorboards – you could see right up to the roof. I had to have a new window.”

Dorothy was able to have her smoke-damaged clothes cleaned, but she lost many ornaments with sentimental value and pictures she had collected on her travels.

Dorothy said she wanted to publicly praise all the people who supported her with their thoughts, prayers and actions in the “difficult months”.

She added: “I have had tremendous support from neighbours who tackled the fire, family who provided me with somewhere to stay, and family and friends who wrote, phoned or enquired about progress.

“I especially want to thank my sister and brother-in-law, who helped so much with all the decisions I have had to make, and also my insurance company.”