A BRIT couple who dreamed of a life in the sun in Spain has been left homeless after their retirement fell through.
Paula Briers, 52, and her husband Rob Briers, 60, swapped their jobs at Coalville Amazon warehouse for an early retirement in Benidorm.
MirrorpixPaula and Rob were forced to ‘semi squat’ after their retirements plans in Spain fell through[/caption]
MirrorpixThe couple live in a derelict outhouse in during the summer and in a caravan in winter[/caption]
The couple was initially set to move to the Spanish city of Granada in 2020, however the first Covid lockdown scuppered their plans.
Initially Paula and Rob found a plot for their caravan at the Villamar campsite when they discovered it was overrun by “feral cats”.
An animal lover and fosterer, Paula agreed to help rehome as many cats as possible.
She told The Express: “I’ve always loved animals.
“In the UK I did fostering and things.
“In Villamar we just said “look, we’ll help you out, sort out the cats” and we had a little table on our plot where people used to come and give donations and things.”
She added: “We got the cats down from over 1,000 to about 200.
“And we had people looking after the cats that were feral so they had somewhere to eat and [someone to] keep an eye on their health.”
Despite her act of kindness, the mum-of-six was evicted from the campsite along with her husband.
Originally from Bournmouth, Paula and Rob, from Leicester, left the campsite and ended up sleeping rough in a field.
Paula said: “After we got kicked off the Villamar we literally slept in a field… behind a bush”.
The couple were found by charity boss and British musician Johnny Elraiz, better known as Jonny Hellraizer.
Paula said: “Jonny does a lot for a lot of people. Not just us, he helps people get showers and everything so it’s invaluable to the community.”
The charity boss, who plays guitar and sings for Benidorm metal band White Coast Rebels, was the one who helped Paula and Rob get back on their feet and find somewhere better to live.
The couple now reside in a derelict outhouse in summer along with their four dogs and countless cats.
In the winter, the couple reside in a caravan in the derelict property’s garden.
In exchange to stay on the property, the Briars pay the landlady £126 and tend to her garden.
Despite their “semi-squatter” status, the couple have remained positive.
Paula said: “There’s always somebody worse off than us. You know, I stay positive.
“There’s a lot of people out there who are a damn sight worse off than us.”