AN ISLE of Wight Nursery has received a donation of £1,500 after tools were stolen from its outbuildings.

Southern Co-op retail and funeralcare colleagues were upset to hear that thieves had targeted West Wight Nursery at the St Saviour’s Primary School site in Totland, so the branches in Freshwater agreed to club together and fund a replacement of the tools.

Thieves made off with valuable gardening tools including strimmers, hedge cutters and drills.

Kim Tyrell, nursery manager, described the incident as ‘devastating’.

She said: “We are really grateful that Southern Co-op has supported us after the losses. We are a charitable trust that needs every penny and puts all our money back into the setting.

“There isn’t any surplus and we need the tools to maintain the site so we are grateful for the support.”

The donation was made by Southern Co-op’s funeralcare and retail branches as part of its community engagement programme ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’.

Charitable or not-for-profit groups who benefit local communities can apply for funding from the Love Your Neighbourhood fund which distributes income raised by the carrier bag levy.

Matt Burfield, store manager at the Avenue Road branch, said: “All of us were really shocked to hear that someone could steal from a local charity and our community nursery — we knew we had to help.

“Crimes like these affect all of us in the community and we need to work together to support each other. It was very humbling to be given a tour around the nursery when we made our donation — they truly are an inspirational operation.”