Volunteers 'heartbroken' as vandals ransack Leicestershire charity shop

A Leicestershire charity shop has been wrecked following a break-in by vandals. Volunteers at the Age UK store have been left "devastated" by the incident which saw items smashed and others stolen.

The break-in happened during the early hours of Monday morning (February 3) at the Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland store in Syston's Melton Road. Staff had arrived yesterday to find the store had been ransacked with windows and shop fittings smashed, while other items had been stolen and stock was strewn across the store's floor.

Tony Donovan, the store's executive director told LeicestershireLive that the outlet was a "beloved" community hub and that he struggled to understand why anyone would target the charity. He said: “I am appalled that anybody would want to vandalise and steal from a charity shop whose aim is simply to raise funds for services aimed at supporting vulnerable older people.

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“The shop is beloved by the community and our staff are overwhelmed with sadness and heartbroken with the damage done to their shop.”

The incident has left volunteers to turn to the community for help in repairing the store and stock damaged during the break-in. Help to replace items lost during the incident is also wanted by Age UK.

Anyone wishing to donate cash, clothing, or bric-a-brac to help in the recovery can do so by dropping off donations directly at the shop on 1278 Melton Road, Syston LE7 2HD during opening times. Donations can also be made online.

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