'Appalling' theft of Bluebell Wood charity van

It was stolen from the charity’s Hellaby furniture store on Tuesday and later found damaged and dumped in Mexborough. 

Chief executive Claire Rintoul said: “I am appalled that our van could be targeted in this way, at a cost to our charity. 

“Without the tremendous support of our communities, we wouldn’t be able to provide the precious moments we do for our families at very tough times. 

“We are calling upon anybody in the community who may know anything about this crime to come forward to the police with information. 

“This theft won’t deter us from delivering exceptional care for our children and their families but does affect our supporters, volunteers and staff who work tirelessly to provide care at Bluebell Wood.”

Head of retail James Bower said: “Whoever did this targeted our charity shop and we cannot believe that anybody would steal from a children's hospice.

“This has cost our charity money and time. It’s such a disappointing act of vandalism that has left us out of pocket. Ultimately, that money should be spent on our children and families.

“We are really upset about this and hope that anybody who may know more about this incident will come forward with information to the police.”

The North Anston-based hospice needs to raise more than £3 million a year and receives less than ten per cent from the Government.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “Even though this vehicle has been recovered, we are still keen to hear from anyone who might hold information that would help us identify those responsible.

“The theft of this vehicle has had an impact on the daily running of the charity and while some may feel that stealing a vehicle is a victimless crime, in reality it can cause distress and significant inconvenience.”

Contact 101 or email [email protected] quoting incident 241 of October 7.