Criminals smash into Nottingham's oldest charity to take money donated by elderly
The manager of Nottingham's oldest charity has slammed criminals who broke into its building to steal money donated by pensioners. Kitchen windows have been smashed and a large jar of coins has been stolen from the Nottingham Mechanics Institute (NMI), with the charity estimating that the damage will cost it more than £1,000.
Founded in 1837 as an educational facility for mechanics in Nottingham's lace factories and cotton mills, the NMI has hosted figures including Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and Madame Tussaud. The institute recently launched a new series of educational courses to boost its 200-strong membership, which the charity's manager says is not enough for a sustainable future.
Progress has now been set back after people broke into the institute's building on North Sherwood Street in the early hours of Thursday (September 12). Smashing through the kitchen windows, the criminals initially tried to take the till inside the building.
Failing in that attempt, the intruders then took a jar from the end of the charity's bar that members throw coins into throughout the year as an extra gesture of support for the NMI. The NMI's membership is predominantly made up of the elderly and Adam Carlton, the manager of the NMI, estimates there was nearly £200 in the jar.
Mr Carlton said: "It won't have seemed a lot of money to them, but it is to us. We're struggling to make ends meet as it is and so this is just something on top of everything else.
"We've been here for 187 years helping vulnerable people in Nottingham and how someone can come and do that, I can't understand it. There's no respect for anything. It'll cost us over £1,000 and that's a lot of money for us at this moment in time.
"The number of times that the police ask us for footage after incidents on this street is unbelievable. There just seems to be a problem with our area."
Mr Carlton says staff at the institute had to do extra hours to clean up in the aftermath of the break-in. The smashed windows have now been boarded up and the charity is in the process of repairing the damage.
Modelled on other institutes that were becoming commonplace around the country, the Nottingham branch was set up by John Wright of the Nottingham banking family. Educational courses and guest speakers were among the benefits of being an institute member, with Oscar Wilde and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle having also spoken at the club. Nottinghamshire Police has been contacted for comment.