A fundraising campaign to help the Devereau family after a fire tore through a barn at Staarvey Farm last week has already raised more than £2,000.

Since 2006 the family have become a big part of the island’s food industry, producing everything from jams, marmalades and chutneys to eggs, organic salads and herbs.

The fire, on Monday, January 9, was so big it could be seen from the hills around the farm and despite the efforts of the fire service, nothing was salvageable.

An online Crowdfunding page has been set up by Rebecca Nathan, a friend of Stephen and Jenny.

She said: ‘This wasn’t just your big standard barn, the barn contained: packing rooms for the Staarvey Farm salad business, a walk-in chiller, equipment and packaging, wheel barrows and rotavator attachments; the jam store for the Staarvey Farm business that contained most of their stock, pallets of empty jars and freezers of fruit; Stephen’s workshop which contained a wide range of equipment and all of his tools.

‘The barn contained general storage such as bikes, items from when their children went to university and the majority of an original 110 County Land Rover Defender which was due to be restored this year.

‘A mezzanine floor housed a large amount of personal and sentimental items and there was also a lean-to wood store containing stock and equipment.’

With salad production due to begin soon, Rebecca said the money raised would be used to buy materials, tools, equipment and a chiller and a number of other things which are needed to build a temporary packing and store area.

The Crowdfunding page can be found at http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/staarveyfarm?utm_term=gkNQAwzGm