Charity humbled by community support after break-in

A Peterborough-based charity said it has been humbled by community support after about £1,000 of power tools were stolen from a storage trailer.

Project Abundance, part of the charity The Green Backyard, located off London Road, educates young people about the environment and sustainable food production.

Founder Lewis Vernum said staff arrived on Wednesday to find the trailer's padlock was missing and several power tools were gone. He said the theft could have a "huge impact" on upcoming projects and activities.

"It's frustrating, really. We work hard to raise the money for these tools, which make life easier for our volunteers and staff, and then someone just takes them," he said.

Despite the setback, Vernum said the charity had been overwhelmed by messages of support and offers of help, with people offering to lend or replace tools.

A fundraising page has also been set up, to help replace stolen equipment and improve site security, including installing CCTV.

"We work with a lot of schools, businesses and the general community and those tools missing means having to put a stop to the outreach stuff that we're able to do," Vernum said.

He said the organisation was reliant upon funding and grants, adding: "It definitely feels kind of one step forward and two steps back, especially as we've had a challenging summer with the food production and the heat and the drought."

Vernum said the site had been broken into at least twice before.

Earlier this month, Peterborough City Council removed The Green Backyard site from its list of potential housebuilding locations, following a campaign by residents fighting to save the green space.

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