Weston Hospicecare is appealing for help to repair two of its shops, after they were both targeted by burglars in little more than a fortnight.
The hospice’s shops in Milton Road, Weston and The Triangle, Clevedon, have both fallen victim to break-ins in the past few weeks.
Milton Road was targeted overnight on February 13-14, by intruders who damaged two doors and smashed a window, before escaping with a small amount of cash retained as a till float.
And March 5 saw the Clevedon shop targeted in a similar manner – again, a door was damaged and cash taken.
The incidents are upsetting for staff and volunteers who work in each shop, and for the community who support them – but even more importantly, they also mean money which has been raised for patient care will instead have to be spent on repairs to the damaged buildings.
While the cost is relatively small, a small amount of money can have a big impact for the charity, and can directly impact on the care offered to patients.
That is why the hospice has set up a JustGiving page to appeal for help to cover the cost of repairs – potentially freeing up money raised by the shops to be spent as intended on the frontline of patient care.
The hospice’s retail director Gemma Turner said: “It is the support of our community which makes our shops such an essential and successful part of the hospice’s fundraising operation, enabling us to continue helping people with life-limiting illnesses when they need us most.
“Incidents such as these have an impact on the staff and volunteers who are upset to see their shop targeted in this way, but the impact will also be felt by the shop’s customers and the wider community, as well as the hospice itself.
“Indeed, it is our patients who will lose out, as money raised by our shops would normally go towards their care.
“If money has to be found for repairs, that is money which cannot be spent in direct support of our patients – and so we are hoping our community will help us to undo the damage done by these criminals.
“It is a small amount of money, but small amounts of money can make a big difference for us. Any donation would be very gratefully received.”
Weston Hospicecare’s Shop Repairs Appeal page on JustGiving can be found here.