Fire-hit nursery flooded with gifts of toys and help
A nursery has been inundated with donations since its toy shed was burnt down in a suspected arson attack.
St Michael’s Nursery, in St Michael’s Road, Maidstone, lost toys worth thousands in the fire, which happened in the early hours of last Wednesday.
But after finding out about the attack, parents, business owners and members of the public have offered of toys, vouchers and even a temporary store room.
Deputy manager Daniel Gibbons, 33, said: “The parents have been just – wow! We’ve had so much support from everyone.
“We’re trying to store as much stuff as possible in the hall but other people use it so we’re struggling to fit everything in. We’ve had to ask some people to hold off a minute.”
Parents have donated a trampoline, a seesaw and bikes.
Staff at Morrisons in Sutton Road, Maidstone, donated £45 worth of garden toys.
Community champion Sharon Sidebottom said: “After hearing about the fire we got together at Morrisons and felt we needed to do something to help.”
A company in Folkestone, Bigjigs Toys Ltd, read about the fire on the Kent Messenger’s website and decided to make a donation.
Director Liz Ireland took £250 worth of wooden toys, including puzzles, pull-alongs, baby gyms, train sets and height charts, to the nursery.
Staff at Tesco in Farleigh Hill, Tovil, donated toy diggers and vouchers and 66-year-old grandmother Brenda Malyon, of Tonbridge Road, persuaded several shops in Maidstone town centre to donate items.
Matthew Fraser, station manager at Maidstone East, has offered to store items in a spare room at the station.
Mr Fraser said: “I live locally, I’m involved in the St Michael and All Angels Scout Group, whose hut is nearby and was damaged by the fire, and my brother was one of the firefighters who put the fire out. With all those connections I thought there must be something we could do to help.” But amidst all the generosity, the nursery’s insurance company has delivered the bad news that it will only pay out £1,000 for the toys and shed, which Mr Gibbons estimates were worth about £5,000.
Fundraising events, including a comedy gig in Maidstone, are being organised.
A Volkswagen Passat was damaged by fire the same night in nearby Hartnup Street. Police are treating that blaze as suspicious but cannot confirm whether they are linking the two suspected arson attacks.