A GENEROUS spirited rotary club came to the aid of the devastated British Legion Saddleworth branch after poppy day collecting boxes were stolen by a callous thief.
The thief took the boxes off two shop counters in Uppermill – The Cooperative Pharmacy and JW Buckleys bakers – the day before the traditional Remembrance Sunday services.
But Richard Bartlett, president of Saddleworth Rotary Club, visited the RBL branch and promised a donation of £150 to boost their depleted funds.
Delighted chairman and standard bearer Arthur Hinchcliffe, 81, said: “We are thrilled by this wonderful donation. It’s come as a real surprise.
“The loss of the funds has really upset all our members and locals too. We can’t thank Rotary enough for their help.
“We were all devastated by the theft. It really shocked all our members – and the community at large.”
The robbery was described as ‘callous and uncaring’ by Constable Mark Clough, GMP’s investigating officer for Saddleworth North.
Graham Scholes, who heads up family bakery JWBuckleys, said: “Most of the money for the poppies came from young children. It’s a dreadful thing to happen. We have never seen anything like this before.”
Saddleworth Royal British Legion branch officials estimated there could have beenbetween £30 to £70 in each box.
Mr Bartlett added: “The legion do a fabulous job for families and military personnel – we just wanted to make sure they were not the losers.
“It’s an awful thing to do – particularly at such a sensitive time. Rotary is very much about helping and being part of local communities and we were delighted to make a contribution.”
Last year the poppy appeal in Saddleworth raised a record sum of more than £10,000 from public donations.
