Fundraiser to replace tools worth £1k stolen from Haslam Park in Preston

The Friends of Haslam Park tool store, which has double locks on every door, was targeted along with a number of allotment cabins.

Christopher Smith, a member of the friends group, said: “Somebody decided to use a heavy crowbar or similar tool to get into the store and then set about ransacking the building to find things to steal.

“After checking to see what was missing the principal losses are a Stihl brushcutter, a portable generator and a tool trolley we use for transporting equipment around the park.

“The replacement value of the loss is over £1,000. The equipment was uninsured as the cost would be too much for our small group to cover.”

The group has now set about fundraising to replace the stolen tools which went missing overnight between August 29 and 30.

Christopher said: “The Friends of Haslam Park are a small group of volunteers who give their time to look after the park and its local nature reserve.

“The tools and equipment we have lost are vital to our work to maintain this important green space for everyone.

“As a small community group we could not afford to insure all our equipment.

“We hope our many friends will support us in raising the money to replace the stolen equipment to allow us to continue our work.”

To date the fundraiser has gathered £150 of its £1,000 target. To donate go to www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/FriendsofHaslamParkToolAppeal

The Friends of Haslam Park group was formed in 2001 and over the years have secured grants of over £120, 000 for the park and nature reserve.