Lancaster hospice ‘horrified’ by theft of donations which were then dumped

St John’s Hospice in Slyne Road say they are “horrified” by the incident, which happened in the early hours of Sunday November 3.

The charity’s drop-off point in Slyne Road was broken into and items were taken.

Several items of clothing and material were later found dumped in Powder House Lane.

Catherine Butterworth, head of income generation at St John’s Hospice said: “Unfortunately we can confirm that our donation drop-off point was broken into recently, a number of items were taken and then some of them were fly-tipped.

“The police are fortunately investigating this and today we have opened a new, more secure donation drop-off point closer to the hospice building that is well-lit with high definition CCTV cameras.

“We are horrified that someone could do this – by doing so they have quite literally taken funds away from people who need pain management, symptom relief and end of life care.

“We are a charity and do not charge for the care we give, which means we need to raise around £375 per hour to offer this care so public donations of goods are a vital source of fundraising that help us be there for one of the most difficult times in people’s lives.

“I am asking our community to please continue giving us your pre-loved items and not let this incident stop you supporting your local Hospice.

“If anyone knows who may be responsible for this theft, please let St John’s or the police know who they are.”