For 14 years, since moving from the nearby village of Osmotherley, Kim and her family have made their home as tenants of the Snilesworth Trust in a remote cottage on the North York Moors. She was recently told by a neighbour, who had previously behaved aggressively towards the Tillyers, that she was going to be evicted. Several ignored phone calls later the agent confirmed this and the family were told they would have 2 months to leave...no offical reason given or needed. Paper work has yet to be served. 

The only reason for the eviction albeit unofficial, is that the son of said neighbour want's to live at Moorside House.

Kim's work as an artist, photographer and writer has been intimately connected with her deep love of the North York Moors and her moorland home; a love which she has shared through her blog over the past 6 years; meaning that people as far afield as Eugene, Oregon and Melbourne, Australia have also felt a deep connection with the place, now immortalised as "Witchmountain".

Moorside House was an empty shell with an overgrown garden when they first arrived in July 2000; not even a light bulb provided. Over the years Kim has worked hard to create a beautiful garden and make a home for her family, her son (Jacob 19) works locally and her daughter (Sara 22) has just begun her final year of study at UWE. 

Whilst accepting that the Trust's actions are technically legal, we would like to emphasise that the way in which Kim, who had previously had good relations with the landowning family, was told (with no previous warning, in the supermarket) and her subsequent treatment by the agent and trustees is both cruel and immoral as well as highly unprofessional.

-Rent has always been paid on time, no reason for eviction was given and the period of notice, only 2 months, is unreasonable and unrealistic given the long period of occupancy.

-Kim and her family work locally and have contributed to the income of the estate in various ways.

-Kim has been a valued member of the local community for over 25 years.

-Self-employed and subsisting on a very low income, Kim is unlikely to find a suitable home for herself and her son within the local area and will therefore be "involuntarily homeless" 

-Kim's health and ability to work have been seriously compromised by the agent's insensitive handling of the situation which has directly affected her financial situation.

We believe that this situation also highlights wider issues within rural communities, many of which are still run in what is fundamentally a feudal system. The problem of homelessness is not just an urban one and everyone should be afforded respect and the "quiet enjoyment" of a place to call home.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, we hope we can count on your support, please add your signature in the hope that together we can persuade the estate to act with responsibility and compassion.