Residents rally round after charity's Easter eggs stolen

Wigan and Leigh Hospice (WLH) fund-raiser Katie Stevenson was appalled and shocked when the huge haul of donated chocolate disappeared from her car boot outside her Goose Green home.

She put a message on a Winstanley community Facebook group and a huge grass-roots effort to ensure patients and children at WLH’s Hindley headquarters would get their sweet treat swung into action.

Page administrator Catherine Tomlinson arranged for Winstanley’s Co-op to be a drop-off point and generous locals gave 63 eggs for the hospice event last weekend.

Katie has now spoken of her deep gratitude and amazement that people ensured the event could go ahead despite the odds.

She said: “I was just devastated when the eggs were stolen. They had been donated by the Aldi Academy where my sister works. I saw something outside and thought it was a roof tile but it turned out to be a shin pad. I then looked at my car and saw everything had been rummaged through.

“There were two large crates and a big shopping bag full of Easter eggs and it had all gone. It was awful.

“I put a message on Facebook hoping the person who had done it would see and feel guilty.

“The lady who runs the group said people wanted to help and it has been absolutely amazing.

“I felt bad at first because I hadn’t put the message on to get replacements but the generosity of the local communities has been amazing. It’s nice to see there are nice people out there.”

Catherine said: “Our page is about tackling anti-social behaviour so it’s nice to be able to turn things round and show something really positive.”

Around 100 youngsters were expected to take part in the Easter egg trail around WLH’s Kildare Street headquarters last weekend and the Easter Bunny also delivered chocolate to patients.

Katie and her sister fund-raise and volunteer for the hospice in memory of their mum, with their work including running the community support group for WLH in Winstanley.