Heartless thief steals Pontefract hospice van

The Prince of Wales Hospice are appealing for information following the theft of their retail van from the hospice on Halfpenny Lane, Pontefract, on Friday night.

The Ford Transit was parked in the staff car park when a worker saw the thief make off with the vehicle shortly after 9.30pm.

The van is essential to the day-to-day running of the hospice's retail arm and is used to transport stock to its 13 shops, collect furniture donations and deliver furniture purchased at

the Castleford furniture shop.

Sarah Lowden, the manager of the furniture shop said: "I was absolutely devastated to hear the news.

"It's a huge loss to our hospice, we rely on the van to collect donations from customers' houses to sell in the shop and to deliver items bought in store.

"We could potentially lose around £2,000 per week from not having the van on the road, which when we have been closed for months during the pandemic is a real worry."

"The theft has put a huge strain on our one remaining van and our ability to move stock from our donation centre to our other shops. It saddens me that someone would do this to a local charity without a second thought of how it will impact us."

The van's registration number is YK61 YNS. If anyone has information they are being urged to call police on 101 quoting the crime reference number 13200422387 from August 21.

The cost of a replacement vehicle is currently unknown, however it is anticipated there will be a significant shortfall between the market value paid by the insurance company and the cost of buying an appropriate van that will be reliable and fit for the business needs of the hospice.

A Just Giving page has been set up to help with the loss of income from the van not being on the road and the costs of purchasing a suitable replacement vehicle. The hospice is

urging supporters to donate here.