GREEN BACKYARD HIT BY VANDALS

Volunteers at The Green Back Yard have been left heartbroken after thieves broke in and stole vital kit from the charity project.

The community garden in Oundle Road, Woodston, was targeted by the thieves on Tuesday evening.

Now volunteers are appealing for support – and for witnesses to come forward to catch the culprits.

Lauren Kendrick, grower and site manager at the Green Backyard, said: “We came in on Wednesday morning to find we had been broken into, and there was quite a lot of damage that had been caused.

“They broke into every shed and container in the garden.

“They took tools and equipment from the garden that we need.

“We are still waiting for the police to come before we can really assess what has happened and how much damage has been caused.

“We are just hoping that someone has seen something that can help the investigation.

“It is incredibly disappointing that someone would do something like this here.”

The charity is preparing for one of the busiest times of the year

– but despite the heartbreak following the break-in, Lauren said everyone would be working to make sure it was business as usual as soon as possible.

She said: “Everyone will rally round to get things back up and running.

“It really is a busy time for us, so any support people can offer is always appreciated.

“We are starting preparations at the moment for our Christmas Fair, which takes place on Saturday, December 7 – we hope people can show unity and come and support us then.”

A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman said: “We were called at about 9am on October 23 to reports of a burglary at the Green Backyard on Oundle Road, Peterborough.

“An office and a number of sheds were broken into overnight. Tools and an electronic tablet were stolen.

“No arrests have been made and enquiries continue. “Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident 108 of 23 October.”

The Green Backyard is open Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday between 11am and 4pm.

For more information • about the project, or to offer support to volunteer at the site, visit www.thegreenbackyard.com

They broke into every shed and container in the garden Lauren Kendrick