Scout Hut Burgled and Vandalised

In May this year it was very pleasing to hear that our friends from the 85th Stoke-on-Trent & Newcastle, Milton Scout Group opened their new Scout hut. They managed to raise well over £100,000 to pay for their new building and it’s very impressive.

So it’s extremely disappointing to hear that they’ve been broken into twice, had the building vandalised and stuff nicked!

Here is the story in the local paper

THIEVES had time to stop for a cup of coffee as they caused around £2,000 damage ransacking a newly-opened Scout hut.
Burglars raided the 85th Stoke-on-Trent Scout group’s new base in Milton for the second time in just three weeks before making off with electrical goods.
But they first smashed cupboards, tossed paint against walls and left neckerchiefs and badges strewn across the Leek Road building.
Volunteers were left devastated by the latest burglary, which happened some time between August 27 and September 1.
The raids are a bitter blow to the group, which finally saw the £110,000 hut open in May after years of fund-raising.
Andy Shaw, chairman of the group, said he could not understand why they had been targeted.
The 47-year-old added: "I can’t really explain how I felt when I saw the damage. I just came through the gates as normal and my jaw dropped. I could not believe what they’d done.
"I don’t know why they have done it. We put an awful lot of work into building this place up, we were here every night after work and every weekend for a year. I am heartbroken."
Mr Shaw said the intruders, who scaled gates and smashed a window to enter, stayed long enough to make themselves a cup of coffee before escaping with a digital camera, PlayStation 2 console and 20 computer games.
"They put their dirty cups in the sink but they didn’t wash them up. I have to laugh about some of it or I’d crack up," he said.
Thieves stole a strimmer stored at the site in a burglary three weeks ago, but the group has since reinforced the door.
The new hut is known as the Lucas Centre in honour of former leader Pat Lucas, now the group’s treasurer.
The 66-year-old, from Berwick Road, Sneyd Green, said: "It is soul destroying. We’re looking to have CCTV and perhaps something to protect the windows. But things like metal bars make it feel like a prison.”

After all the hard work that’s been done to raise money for this fantastic new building, it takes a few ****wits to ruin things (sorry for the language, but it REALLY get’s my goat…). I know Pat has put a lot of time and effort personally to get this building built and it must be really soul destroying for her.

Hopefully these mindless fools will be caught soon.

 

Next post is a positive one – honest!