Band overwhelmed by support after £5k guitars and equipment stolen from their van

A band has spoken of being overwhelmed by the public support after guitars and other equipment worth thousands of pounds were stolen.
The Lottery WinnersThe Lottery Winners
The Lottery Winners

Music fans have rallied round indie-pop group The Lottery Winners after thieves made off with a £5,000 haul from their van.

The devastating incident happened on Primrose Street in Tyldesley shortly after 2am last Friday.

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Among the items taken were a limited-edition Fender Telecaster guitar, a Yamaha acoustic six-string alone worth around £2,000, microphones, pedals and other recording equipment.

The Lottery WinnersThe Lottery Winners
The Lottery Winners

However, a Go Fund Me page set up to help The Lottery Winners in their hour of need has had an enormous response from the band’s loyal fanbase, with the £3,000 fund-raising target set already reached.

The group has spoken of its gratitude to those who have rallied round and appealed for anyone who might have information about the theft to speak to the police.

Frontman Thom Rylance said: “The first time I saw the fund-raising page it was already over £1,000, which I couldn’t believe.

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“Obviously we have the best friends and people who support us. It means the entire world.

“There are a lot of bad people in the world but there are a lot more good people who will come together and help, and this proves it.

“The support for us through this has been the most amazing thing. It is absolutely incredible and we will never forget it.

“All the stuff we need to make music was basically taken.

“The van was parked up and I nipped into somewhere. I know I shouldn’t have left the things in the van. It has been a harsh lesson learned.”

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The fund-raising page, set up by Thom’s mum Julie Rylance, had reached an impressive total of £3,328 by Monday morning and was shown as officially trending on the website.

The Lottery Winners have enjoyed considerable success in recent years, getting signed to a major label and coming off appearances this summer at major festivals such as Glastonbury and Kendal Calling.

The post on the fund-raising site read: “All four members dedicate so much of their lives to this band, and most of the (little) money they make they re-invest into their gear to make sure they have the best chance of making it, so things like this really hurt them.”

Anyone who saw anything suspicious early on Friday in the Primrose Street area of Tyldesley or who knows anything about the equipment theft should ring police on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.