GoFundMe appeal bid to help Wakefield charity left 'completely gutted' after break-in

A Wakefield charity has started a fundraising campaign after a break-in has left them with limited supplies and financial worries.
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KidzAware, which supports children and adults with disabilities, was broken into between the hours of 5pm Sunday, February 9 and 8am Monday, February 10 with thieves stealing property including laptops, ipads, Easter hampers and money collection boxes.

Gillian Archibold, 59, who founded the charity alongside daughter Sabrina, 40, is now appealing to the Wakefield community to help raise funds to replace some of the stolen equipment.

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Gillian said: "Sometimes you have to go through something like this to realise how vulnerable you are.

Burglars ransacked the charity's office causing heartbreak.Burglars ransacked the charity's office causing heartbreak.
Burglars ransacked the charity's office causing heartbreak.

"It took us 25 years to be where we were, but we now have to try to find ways to get the funds to replace the equipment we need and be there to support our clients."

Gillian founded the charity in 1995, after Sabrina was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and autism along with hearing and visual impairment at a young age.

The mum and daughter began offering support to families with children who have disabilities in 1995, becoming a registered charity in 2006.

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Gillian said: "There are only two of us that run this charity along with volunteers.

"We were already under pressure and struggling as it is, now this has broken us."

A GoFundMe has been set up to accept donations towards helping replace the equipment needed to carry on their work.

"We walked back into our office, yes we have things missing but we have clients that need our help," Gillian said.

"I am going to keep looking forward, I will not look backwards."

To make a donation visit the GoFundMe page here.

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