A tornado was the “best thing that ever happened” to one man after the storm destroyed his home and prompted him to reconnect with an old friend – who he is now engaged to.
William Sitch’s roof was ripped off in the Derbyshire tornado on 8 October last year.
Pictures showed the devastation left in the wake of the tornado, and with no-where to live, Mr Sitch moved in with childhood friend Sandra Constable.
The storm “had been a blessing” for the couple, Mrs Constable’s son Oli told the BBC.
“It's been the best thing that ever happened to him... [He and my mother] are now together and they're happy."
Although Mr Sitch’s home on Catherine Street has been repaired, he is happily living in Chesterfield.
In October, Mr Constable spoke of Mr Sitch’s “shock” at finding his Derbyshire home had been destroyed. “It's not something that you think would happen in Alfreton."
Last year, the Met Office confirmed the tornado, commenting they do “occur on occasions when the atmosphere is suitably volatile.”
