Victims of arson attack thank public for support

Woodland community project rebuilding following break-in

The owners of a woodland community project that was blitzed by vandals and burnt down, have thanked people for their support.

Mark Wood and Karen Little were devastated when they discovered the destruction of the site, which is used by people of all ages for educational and therapy programmes.

They discovered that vandals had broken into the remote site on the morning of Sunday, November 12. About £300 worth of equipment was stolen before the intruders set the place on fire, with the barn that was used as a classroom burnt to the ground and metal containers destroyed.

But the duo say their faith in the community has been restored by the generosity and support they have been shown since the incident.

On their Facebook page, the couple wrote: “A week has passed since our break-in and fire and we have been blown away by people’s support.

“We are now re-equipping ourselves with what was burnt or stolen so are on track to be back in full swing very soon.

“We are getting the site cleared and made safe over the next few weeks.

“Re-building of our classroom barn will more than likely now be after Christmas. We plan a re-build get-together so we can personally thank you all and give you the chance to see our amazing woodland where we work with some inspiring people.

The post added: “We have been donated some equipment, been given advice on security and also been offered storage to keep us up and running.

“Some of our students have been getting stuck in this week clearing and skipping.

“Sadly other people locally have also been targeted with break-ins and damage, so we will be doing what we can to help them also.

“Thank you so much to you all, words are not enough.”

A JustGiving page that was set up to help rebuild the project has now raised more than £200.

For more information visit www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/andrew-wagar

The damage after the arson attack