£20,000 worth of tools stolen from West Sussex charity during 'heartbreaking' Christmas burglary

it was Wood Manager Brian who discovered the theft, which took place just days before Christmas itself, when he stopped by to finish off some projects before the end of the year.

Thieves gained access to the Country Centre through its window, and pilfered 30 high-value hilti tools, including jigsaws, combihammers and 12 battery packs. All of the tools were donated by Hilti GB as part of the company’s charitable campaign, and have been stamped with ‘Donated by Hilti GB,” meaning they should be easy to identify.

The Aldinbourne Country Centre supports the Aldingbourne Trust, a charity which helps provide support services to adults with learning disabilities or autism, and the theft of these tools is set to seriously affect the charity’s plans to create and sell wood-products.

Commercial & Retail Manager Jason said, "The important analogy is that like the wood we collect—something written off or disposed of—it is transformed in our hands into something of value. The people we support are exactly the same. We give individuals who might otherwise be written off a sense of purpose and value."

Despite the setback, staff and volunteers say they have been overwhelmed by the kindness of the response to the news. One gentleman approached the charity with a substantial £1,000 donation, and a suite of new tools for the team, while local organisations like Fontwell Racecourse have been quick to pledge their support.

Stephen, one of the adults supported by the Aldingbourne Community Trust, summed up the feeling of everyone at the charity during an interview with ITV news: “Whoever has done this should be arrested for it."

A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “An investigation is ongoing to identify any suspects. If you have any information that could help, please contact police online or via 101, quoting serial 452 of 24/12.

"Your kindness means the world to us,” a charity spokesperson added, “and it’s helping us turn this difficult situation into something hopeful. If you’d like to help us rebuild and continue empowering lives, please consider donating at aldingbournetrust.org/donate.

"we’re doing everything we can to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.”