December 10, 2021 10.13 am This story is over 27 months old

Community rallies as thieves steal £1,500 of charity’s Christmas toys for struggling families

Hundreds of new presents have been donated

A charity that collects gifts for children across North East Lincolnshire had £1,500 worth of toys stolen, but a social media appeal and the generous local community saw hundreds of new presents donated.

Christian Action and Resource Enterprise (CARE), which has locations on Hainton Avenue in Grimsby and Alexandra Road in Cleethorpes, holds an annual charity event to make Christmas easier for hundreds of struggling families. However, just 24 hours before the event the charity was left heartbroken by a burglary.

Humberside Police officers are investigating a reported burglary at a commercial property on Eastgate in Grimsby, where the charity’s warehouse building is located. The burglary is believed to have occurred between 3pm on Monday, December 6 and 10am on Wednesday, December 8.

The local community helped to raise more than £2,500 and brought in extra donations, allowing the charity to refill its tables again so that new toys can be given to children ready for Christmas.

Responding to the donations and community help, Stephen Durkin from the charity told BBC Look North: “The biggest thank you I could give, really. Thank you isn’t enough.”

Police said: “Multiple enquiries have taken place, with the local neighbourhood team following up with further enquiries.

“If you witnessed anything suspicious at the time, or have CCTV of the local area, you are asked to call us on our non-emergency number 101 quoting crime reference 16/120300/21.”