Wigan residents rally round craft gallery after devastating break-in

Burglars broke into the Haigh Stables Gallery in January, stealing the contents of a safe before removing evidence of their crime from the scene.

Other news: Wigan through-road reopens as barrier is removedThe burglars helped themselves to more than £3,600 pounds, as well as a charity collection box, from the volunteer-led shop at Haigh Hall.

And to make matters worse, the thieves also took with them the shop’s CCTV hard drive, wiping out any video evidence of their crime.

Appalled by these actions, the community rallied around the gallery and its owner, Philip Davies. One resident, Emma Appleton, even set up an online fund-raiser which raised more than £500 to recoup the losses and pay for the damages to the premises.

A delighted Philip said: “This has more than covered the costs of replacing CCTV, locks and keys.

“May I take this opportunity to thank Emma and all the others who have supported us at this time.

“We have also had some very generous people donating at the Gallery and even through the post.

“We know how much the Gallery is appreciated by the response to this awful trauma. We will continue to operate and provide a great place to visit at Haigh Woodland Park.”

Speaking at the time of the break-on, Philip suspected a gang had planned the raid in advance.

The 70-year-old said: “We believe four men must have been into the gallery to ‘case it’ and opened the window catch during the afternoon. They used a piece of fencing from the nearby storage area to make a ladder and came in through the window.

“The money they stole is our working capital and some money for the craft workers, waiting to be paid for their recent sales.

“None of us get paid for our hours, and the Gallery is basically a non-profit making establishment which we run for the benefit of the families who love to come up doing crafts.

“A collection box for the Salvation Army was taken and we think about a hundred pounds was stolen from that. We work on very low profit margins to keep our costs as low as possible for the families to enjoy their time with us.”

He added: “If anyone hears any rumours or finds any evidence – a busted black metal safe, blue Salvation Army box, or CCTV control box – please let us know or tell the police. We want to keep trading for our faithful customers.”

A police investigation has been launched. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.