A police officer who lost his wife and two children in a house fire on Boxing Day has paid tribute to his family as ‘three of the greatest humans to ever grace our presence’.
Fionnghuala Shearman, known to friends as Nu, perished alongside daughter Eve, seven, and son Ohner, four, as flames swept through their home on Brimscombe Hill, near Stroud.
The 38-year-old’s husband of around ten years, Tom, is a serving Gloucestershire police officer and escaped the inferno.
A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for Mr Shearman’s family has already passed £340,000.
In a tribute released today through Gloucestershire Police, he said: ‘I have stared at my keypad for what seems like an eternity waiting for the words to appear.
‘I have no way to thank any of you for the unbelievable out of this world generosity that you have shown to me in the darkest of hours.
‘My life, the lives of my loved ones, my friends and the whole community changed on Boxing Day.
‘Most importantly, and tragically, three of the greatest humans to ever grace our presence were taken from not just me, but all of us.’
Fionnghuala Shearman, known to friends as Nu, perished alongside daughter Eve, seven, and son Ohner, four, in the fire on Boxing Day
A family photo of Mrs Shearman with her two children
Emergency services were called to the ‘well-established’ fire at a property on Brimscombe Hill, near Stroud, Gloucestershire, at about 3am on December 26
Emergency services were called to the ‘well-established’ fire at the home at about 3am last Friday.
Gloucestershire Constabulary said Mr Shearman attempted to rescue his wife and two children but was beaten back by the severity of the flames.
He smashed a bathroom window to try to access his children’s room from outside but was unable to do so. The family’s dog was also killed in the fire.
Police believe the fire started on the ground floor and investigations are ongoing to establish the cause, but it is not being treated as suspicious.
The fire destroyed the roof, the ceilings and stairs, as well as causing other significant internal damage.
Mr Shearman’s tribute continued: ‘I cannot begin to describe the anguish and trauma of the events of Boxing Day 2025.
‘My family had its very core, its very essence, ripped from it in the most violent way.
‘While nothing can ever undo what has happened, nor can it ever make sense of the suffering, I am genuinely humbled beyond comprehension at what this page has and is doing.
‘My family and friends have rallied around and provided me with more than the bare essentials. I have a roof (and many offers) over my head, clothes on my back, food – most importantly company and compassion. I will heal.
‘I have already started the ball rolling on a plan that came to me just as I was falling past the precipice of the abyss.
Tom is a serving Gloucestershire police officer and escaped the inferno. The pair had been married for around a decade
The burnt roof timbers of the house near Stroud – pictured on December 29
‘I WILL make sure my unbelievably talented, empathetic, compassionate and beautiful wife’s legacy of craft, design and making lives on.’
In the week since the tragic fire, more than 16,000 people donated over £340,000 to help Mr Shearman get back on his feet after losing everything that day.
One anonymous donor gave £10,000 to the cause on GoFundMe, and is listed as its top donation.
The fundraiser was started only three days ago, and organiser Victoria Armstrong said: ‘THANK YOU.
‘We have all learnt that sometimes there are no words.
‘The loss to the families, friends and our community is almost unbearable but what Mr Shearman has already gone through, and now faces is unimaginable.’
The money will be used for emergency accommodation, clothing, essentials, time taken away from work and ‘the many unexpected costs that arise during a period like this’, Ms Armstrong said.
Mrs Shearman, known by friends as Nu, was born in Cheltenham and ran a successful business making canvas and leather bags.
Earlier this month she announced that her workshop would be closing for the foreseeable future.
Friends of the couple said they had been left ‘shellshocked’ by the tragedy
She was heavily into knitting, and some of her friends in the community shared heartbreaking tributes for her and her children online.
Carmen Schmidt, who runs an upmarket yarn wool shop in Bath, said, ‘We lost the brightest of lights’, in an emotional post to her 26,000 Instagram followers.
‘She was my best friend and there are no words for the devastation those close to her feel right now,’ Ms Schmidt wrote.
‘It was a catastrophic house fire that took Nu and her two children in the early hours of the morning. A tragic event with no earthy reason.
‘It goes without saying that this is unbelievably difficult to navigate, especially in a public online space. I’d like to crawl into a dark hole for a good while right now but that isn’t how we built our businesses and our lives. We built them out loud for all to see and so here I am.
‘For now, please go hug your loved ones and tell the people in your life how much they mattered to you.
‘Nu was extremely good at this, she loved big and hard and I’m so grateful to have been in her orbit and I will miss her for a lifetime.’
Mrs Shearman also collaborated with knitting enthusiasts in America, which she visited to sell her specialist bags and accessories.