Mum raises over £2,100 for Chorley charity shop after thieves cause £1,000 worth of damage

Staff and volunteers at Derian House Children’s Hospice were left devastated after discovering burglars had broken into one of their charity shops on Chancery Road in Chorley.

The perpetrators removed slates from the shop roof in order to gain access to the stockroom through the ceiling on Thursday, April 16.

Although no high value items were taken, substantial damage was caused to the roof, leaving Derian House with a bill of over £1,000 to repair the damage.

David Robinson, Chief Executive of Derian House Children’s Hospice, said: “We’re really upset that we’ve been targeted in this way.

"The coronavirus outbreak has already meant that we have had to close our charity shops and cancel fundraising events, so to have to spend precious cash on repairing the damage done in this mindless act feels especially frustrating."

Naomi Moazzeny's daughter, Riziah Moazzeny, 4, was born with Heterotaxy Syndrome - a rare condition which causes internal organs to be abnormally arranged inside the body.

In Riziah’s case the condition caused her heart to mirror image itself which resulted in her having two left sides of her heart.

She also doesn't have a functioning spleen, an important part of the immune system, which means a common cold could land her in hospital.

Derian House gives Riziah a chance to get out of the house and to have fun in a safe, clean environment.

After Naomi saw how much the damage would cost to repair on social media, and knowing the charity relies on the public for more than 90 per cent of its funding, she quickly set up a fundraiser.

The 34-year-old mum from Chorley said: "When I saw the photographs of the damage, I was so annoyed. I don't understand how people can do that.

"They don't realise what our children have to go through day in and day out, and us as families. It's not just a charity shop that they've broken into to get some money from, but they're actually depriving children of the care they need.

"I quickly set up a fundraiser to see whether we could get some money to help, and I honestly didn't expect the response."

In less than 24 hours Naomi had raised over £1,800, and at the time of writing this (April 19), 123 people have made donations, raising a whopping £2,175.

A spokesperson for Derian House said: "Riziah and Naomi - thank you so much for choosing to donate to Derian House at this difficult time - you're absolute superstars!

"The money you and your friends have given will help make a real difference."

Despite smashing her original target, Naomi plans to keep the fundraiser open to help Derian House as much as she can.

"With everything that's happening now with us being in lockdown and isolation, Derian House have had to postpone many of their big fundraising events they normally put on, so they're actually missing out on hundreds of thousands of pounds," Naomi added.

"I'm so glad people have come forward to say they'll do the roof or the tiling and the plastering, and hopefully this money will go to good use.

"We've been with them since October 2018 and they've just been incredible with us. The kids are absolutely loved and cherished by all the staff, so if I can do anything to help them I will."

To donate to Riziah and Naomi's fundraiser, click HERE.

If you have any information about the incident, contact police by calling 101, quoting incident reference number 666 of April 16.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

To find out more about Derian House Children’s Hospice and the work they do, click HERE.