Wigan disabled charity ransacked by heartless thieves

The thugs forced their way into the front of Wigan and Leigh People First just before 3am on Wednesday.

After ransacking the building, the offenders ran off with petty cash and tablets and iPads.

Chief executive Julie Davies said the cost of fixing the damage would mean the charity has less money to spend on supporting people with disabilities.

She said: “These people have targeted a few other businesses.

“The garage next door managed to get CCTV of what happened and there were six or seven individuals in a Citroen van with massive crowbars.

“They managed to use crowbars to get through a shutter at the front entrance and smash through locks in the office doors and other doors.

“They’ve taken petty cash and equipment such as tablets and iPads which the people who use our service do sometimes use.

“Every room has been ransacked and the damage is going to be thousands which will mean less money spent on supporting people with disabilities.”

Ms Davies, 51, set the charity up 12 years ago and they’ve had bases in areas including Platt Bridge and Wigan town centre.

They have been based in their current base in Lowton Road, Golborne, for eight years, and support adults with a range of learning disabilities.

It offers daytime support as well as a range of social activities where people can come in and talk and have a tea or a coffee.

The charity has four staff and a number of volunteers who help out.

Ms Davies said the incident had been reported to the police.

She said: “We had to close on Wednesday because of the damage and mess and because the building wasn’t safe.

“We offer daytime support and people come in and take part in social activities and have a chat and a brew, so it being closed wa s a blow to them.

“This type of crime really is a thoughtless thing to do as these individuals don’t think about the impact on the charity, as it’s deeply personal to our staff, some of whom have worked here a long time. It really matters to people.

“So it’s devastating to see our hard work come to things like this.

“We rely on grants and some charitable donations to get by.

She added: “Hopefully the people that have done this will get caught and be punished for what they have done.”