Shoppers help replace stolen Guide Dog donations

Burglars took charity funds from Wash Common store

THE kindness of shoppers in Wash Common has more than helped to recover stolen charity funds.

Heartless thieves stole around £300 from a Guide Dogs collection box in the Budgens store in Essex Street last year.

The five-foot tall box, shaped like a guide dog, was stolen in the early hours of Friday, October 30.

Store owner Mike Estlea told the at the time: “What they did was beneath contempt and it just beggars belief that they would deliberately target a charity box. They didn’t touch anything else in the shop.”

Determined to recoup the stolen donations, staff held a fundraiser in the build-up to Christmas.

Shoppers donated around £500, exceeding the stolen amount.

“It went extremely well we had a lot of generous customers and we raised more money than we expected,” Mr Estlea said.

He added that another positive was that the profile and awareness for local guide dogs had been raised.

The events saw local guide dogs and their owners talk to customers about how their dogs helped them with their lives.

Mr Estlea said: “All the dogs behaved themselves and enjoyed being the centre of attention.

“They included guide dog puppies Josca, Eade and Joy, plus working guide dog Harley and retired dog Lance.”

Ten children from St Bartholomew’s School and two from Falkland Primary School helped by packing bags for customers.

The store also held a competition to guess the name of a guide dog.

Mr Estlea said that the store was looking to build on the success of the fundraisers and hold others later in the year.

Engagement officer for Guide Dogs in Berkshire, Joel Young, said: “We thank everyone that has contributed to this.

“We rely on the generosity of the public to fund our life-changing work.

“This donation will help us provide our services to more people living with sight loss, helping them to get out and about independently.”