Vandals glue locks of hospice shops

Generous supporters of Pontefract's Prince of Wales Hospice have rallied round to raise more than £300 after vandals targeted two of its shops.
Pontefract shop manager, Tracey Bradley, outside the Pontefract storePontefract shop manager, Tracey Bradley, outside the Pontefract store
Pontefract shop manager, Tracey Bradley, outside the Pontefract store

When managers of the Pontefract store and Castleford furniture shop arrived to open up on Wednesday morning, they discovered the locks had been filled with glue.

They were forced to call out a locksmith to change the locks so they could get inside.

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But the Pontefract store still missed out on more than an hour of trading time.

Christopher Ward, assistant head of retail at the hospice said: “It is very disappointing that someone would target our stores and vandalise them.

“The ten hospice shops across the Five Towns area bring in almost 20 per cent of the total funds we need to raise to support patient care.

“The Pontefract shop is our best performing store, so it was a race against time to fix the lock so we could reopen.”

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The total cost of the vandalism and loss of trade from the incidents was estimated to be £300.

When the hospice launched a Facebook appeal for information about what had happened, members of the community left messages of support.

And local business owner Kyle Hughes, of Coffee Revolution in Castleford, launched a Just Giving fundraising page to cover the costs.

Donations flooded in and within a matter of hours the target of £300 was surpassed.

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Mr Hughes said: “Here at Coffee Revolution we were horrified to find out that someone would vandalise the hospice shops.

“The charity is close to my heart after they helped my dad, who suffered from Motor Neurone Disease.

“I set up the Just Giving page with the support of my staff, who have been promoting the page in store and on social media.

“We’re over the moon that it has raised over £335.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to those who donated whether a small amount or large and I’m proud our quick thinking at the shop has helped the hospice reclaim lost money due to this mindless vandalism.”

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Police said they were called to reports of criminal damage at two commercial properties in Albion Street, Castleford and Corn Market Pontefract, where locks had been covered with glue.

The incidents are believed to have happened sometime between 5pm on Tuesday and 9am on Wednesday.

Anyone with any information should contact police on 101.