ON the night following December 15, 1997, Edward Simpson's business went up in flames in a suspected arson attack. It was a spectacular blaze which tore through the warehouse of Interservices (UK) in Walkden, fought by more than 30 firefighters, and seen from great distances away. And Mr Simpson had no insurance. Yet, here we are, at his new premises, which he opened a month after that fateful night which resulted in a financial loss of over £100,000. The fact is that Mr Simpson had no insurance because his strong Christian belief makes him trust in God - for his life on earth as well as after. He and his wife, four sons, four daughters and 20 grand children, are members of a Christian fellowship called the Brethren.

And it was this fellowship - which is not a cult according to Mr Simpson - which came to the company's financial rescue.

For members from all over the country sent donations which covered a "substantial proportion" of the money lost, said Mr Simpson, of Walkden Road, Worsley.

He explained that the Brethren "do not take the sectarian ground."

"We have no 'churches'," said Mr Simpson, "we have 'meeting rooms', one in Walkden, one in Stockport, and several in Manchester.

"It's a way of life."

e still seems very touched by the generosity and support of the Brethren, saying: "We did not expect it. It was very affecting."

About witnessing the enormous blaze, he said: "I wouldn't forget it in a hurry.

"There was a strong element of shock in seeing the fruits of 25 years' labours going up in smoke and flames."

And still, he is forgiving of the arsonist.

"It was a deliberate attempt to destroy the business. The persons themselves must have been sadly misled," he said.

"I'm sorry for the people who set fire to it.

He explained: "We didn't take it as a devastating accident. We took what happened from the Lord Jesus.

"We knew he loves us and we were confident that he would see us through. We trust him."

Mr Simpson said he remembers how a similar incident happened to a friend 12 months ago. He then thought his own family would 'disintegrate' if something similar happened to them.

But speaking from his new site at the Fairhills Industrial Estate in Irlam, he explained: "In practice, when it happened we found that the Lord Jesus is able to stand by and support.

"Evidence of it is, that because the Lord helped us through we did not disintegrate."

Two days after the fire, the spilllage control business was up and running again, operating from Mr Simpson's younger brother's premises at Cadishead.

"We were able to continue in business," he said. "The disruption was minimal. We put it down to the fact that God stood by us, and the practical support of the fellowship has been a very substantial contributing factor as well."

And within 24 hours of deciding to buy the current premises in Irlam from Mr Simpson's older brother, the old Walkden site was sold by word of mouth.

"It was a confirmation of our faith," said Mr Simpson.

And all this meant that in less than a month after the fire, they opened their new doors to their customers.

For that, they were "thankful", said Mr Simpson.

Meanwhile, the arsonists have never been caught and the police have "no indication" of why the arson attack happened, said Mr Simpson.

He added: "We sympathise with the police and support them in whatever they have to do. They have an up-hill task, combating the rising tide of evil.

"There is a decline in moral standards from the highest level of society down. And it is not getting any better."

The 60 year old runs the Irlam head office together with two of his sons. His other two sons have offices in Kilmarnock, Scotland, and Newtown, Wales. All the Simpson children were brought up on the principles of a Christian group called the Brethren, just as he and his wife were. Part of their belief means they have no television or radio at home, and no computers or fax machines at Interservices. In fact, a notice on the office door requests visitors not to enter the premises with such machinery.

And Mr Simpson said the company gets by fine without these gadgets. He was even unhappy about using a picture of himself for this article, because he doesn't believe in courting personal publicity.

His belief also requires that he runs the business "subordinate" to his Brethren principles; which means paying taxes and bills - because it is "righteous" to do so.

"The way things have gone is confirmation of our faith. We are working hard to re-establish ourselves in a way that would justify the support that we have been provided with."

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