Thieves leave just 5p in Grow’s honesty box
CCTV is being installed on a charity’s site after hundreds of pounds was stolen from an honesty box at the weekend.
Grow’s temporary site in Oatlands Lane site had a milk churn fixed to a bench and secured with a padlock in which people could pay for items on sale.
Last weekend that would have included a lot of Mother’s Day floral baskets, which had been made especially by the charity’s crew, as those who attend the charity are known.
It was on Monday morning when office manager Carol Brehaut checked the churn that the theft was discovered.
‘The padlock was on, but when I turned the key it fell apart in my hand,’ she said.
‘I opened it and there was just 5p in the bottom.’
Given the occasion, and that nearly all of the flower baskets had gone, she said that several hundred pounds would most likely have been in the churn, which had been painted with spring flowers by crew member Juliette Martel.
The greenhouse selling plants, bird boxes and other items is open all day with people often popping in to buy items and leaving payment in the honesty box.
Fortunately, the charity did make some money from the crew’s efforts, since some people paid by contactless card.
But the theft saddened the management and the crew.
‘To steal from charity is low,’ said crew member Heather Brown.
‘The crew were very upset.’
By this weekend CCTV cameras will be installed, said Miss Brehaut.
‘I just hope that whoever is responsible gets to understand just how hurtful their actions have been to all the crew who work hard here to grow plants and produce which help to cover the cost of our overheads.’
Within hours of news of the theft emerging, one local business made a donation of £250.
‘It was a pretty despicable thing to do,’ said Trev Hockey, of Trev’s Motorcycles.
While not a gardener himself, he said his wife often bought plants from Grow.
‘I also have a couple of the crew who come here as customers,’ he said.
Grow provides a safe and secure working environment for people with learning and other disabilities. The charity is currently fundraising to cover the multimillion-pound redevelopment of their Les Petits Quartiers site.
n Anyone with information about the theft can contact Guernsey Police on 222222, quoting reference number OC2200002008, or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
