Charity staff 'devastated' after thief raids South Yorkshire shop

Barnsley Hospice’s charity shop on King Street, Hoyland, was ransacked at around 1.45am on Wednesday (29 January) by a masked thief, who broke in through the shop’s rear door.

The thief stole the contents of a donation box and a black laptop. There was also an attempted to break in on the safe, which was left damaged.

The hospice, which has been helping people in Barnsley since 1994, is now facing a £1,000 bill to replace the laptop and safe, with more money lost through stolen donations.

They were informed of the news by police at 7.20am on Thursday.

Julie Ferry, chief executive of Barnsley Hospice, said: “We have been left devastated by this news. It really is sickening that someone would do this to a charity which is helping people in the community.

“We’d like to thank everyone for their continued support and would urge anyone with information to contact the police.”

Anyone with information on the incident should contact the police on 101, quoting crime reference number 14/256/50/20.

To donate to Barnsley Hospice, visit www.barnsleyhospice.org or call 01226 244244.

Barnsley Hospice provides care for anyone in the borough with a progressive life-limiting disease, including cancer, motor neurone disease and heart disease. It has ten beds for inpatient care and provides day therapy services.

The hospice has more than 300 volunteers who contribute nearly 60,000 hours a year to helping others.