Charity 'devastated' after burglary at St Barnabas charity shop

A Grantham man will appear in court tomorrow after allegedly breaking into a charity shop.

Steven Watson, 37, has been charged with burglary after St Barnabas, on Welby Street, Grantham, was broken into at approximately 6pm yesterday.

A collection box was taken and a door and till were also damaged in the incident.

Watson is due to appear at Lincoln Magistrates Court tomorrow (21 April).

Caroline Peach, head of retail at St Barnabas Hospice, said the break-in was "particularly upsetting" as the charity faces huge losses over the coming months as a result of the coronavirus.

She said: “We feel thankful that we were able to clear our shops of valuables when we closed them for this period of isolation. I would like to say a huge thank you to the residents of the flat above the shop, who were able to alert the police quickly when the break-in occurred.

“A break-in to one of our shops is devastating at any time, but in the current situation, with charities struggling with a loss of income, it is particularly upsetting. There has been so much kindness shown to the Hospice over the past few weeks and it breaks my heart to know that there are people out there targeting organisations like ours, who just want to do good in the community.

“We are facing losses of £1 million over the next three months due to closed charity shops and cancelled fundraising activities. This mindless act of vandalism puts added pressure on our staff and finances as we work to secure the shop again. Above all, our nurses are still continuing to care for patients and families throughout this crisis.

If you are able to support with a donation, however great or small, it would mean the world to us after such a difficult piece of news.”