Brighton charity burgled for a second time

A Brighton charity has been burgled over the Christmas break for a second year running.

Thieves broke into the offices of Threshold, the vulnerable women’s support centre, in Brighton, on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

They made off with a new camera and the safe containing £200 in cash and stamps worth £250.

They stole a Nintendo Wii and a collection of games which had been lent to the charity by a member of staff to enjoy over the Christmas period.

And they also stole a £1,000 cheque – the proceeds of a Christmas fundraising fair organised by clients – but the charity stopped the cheque before it could be cashed.

Clinical and operations manager Melanie Barnard said: “They even stole all our drop-in tea and coffee.”

A year earlier, on Christmas Eve, they stole more than £400 cash and left a trail of damage in what appeared to be a search for the safe keys.

Threshold, the women’s counselling and crèche service, is a Brighton Housing Trust (BHT) project.

It helps women experiencing emotional distress and mental ill health who live in Brighton and Hove and the surrounding area.

Melanie Barnard said: “We all feel very sad to have been burgled and unfortunately this is the second time it has happened.

“It has not been confirmed yet but it is looking very unlikely that our insurance will cover the loss and we simply do not have the money to replace the items.

“We have had to cancel the photography group, an activity that our clients had asked us to provide.

“The groups had been planned as an activity for the new year to help our clients to build their confidence and self-esteem.”

Staff at Threshold appealed for anyone who received a new camera for Christmas to consider donating their old one to the charity to enable them to run the photography group as planned.

Donations can also be sent by cheque to Brighton Housing Trust, 144 London Road, Brighton, BN1 4PH. All donations will be used to replace the equipment that was stolen.