By Isle of Wight ObserverThe gardening gloves are back on at an Isle of Wight nursery after a donation of £1500 helped the team purchase tools which were stolen from its outbuildings.
Southern Co-op retail and funeralcare colleagues were upset to hear that thieves had targeted the children’s charity West Wight Nursery at the St Saviour’s Primary School site in Totland.
Thieves made off with valuable gardening tools including strimmers, hedge cutters and drills which the nursery manager had described as ‘devastating’.
Southern Co-op’s food and funeralcare branches in Freshwater – Afton Road, Avenue Road and The Avenue – quickly agreed to join together and donate £1,500 to buy the replacement equipment.
Kim Tyrell, nursery manager, said: “We are really grateful that Southern Co-op has supported us after the losses. We are a charitable trust that needs every penny and puts all our money back into the setting.
“There isn’t any surplus and we need the tools to maintain the site so we are grateful for the support.”
The donation was made by Southern Co-op’s funeralcare and retail branches as part of its community engagement programme ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’.
Charitable or not-for-profit groups who benefit local communities can apply for funding from the Love Your Neighbourhood fund which distributes income raised by the carrier bag levy.
Matt Burfield, store manager at Avenue Road, said: “All of us were really shocked to hear that someone could steal from a local charity and our community nursery – we knew we had to help.
“Crimes like these affect all of us in the community and we need to work together to support each other. It was very humbling to be given a tour around the nursery when we made our donation – they truly are an inspirational operation.”
