Museum donation money stolen during break-in

The manager of Grantham Museum says he is "deflated" after thieves broke in and stole £500 from a donation box.

Lincolnshire Police said it received a report of a burglary at the museum, in St Peter's Hill, which took place between Saturday and Monday. The force said investigations were ongoing and no arrests had been made.

Alastair Hawken, the museum's business development manager, said a window was broken and a new model railway exhibit was damaged.

"The damage is not permanent, the damage we can work around, but it's just mindless," Hawken said.

He added: "The last thing we want to see is our community museum being broken into and the amount of money stolen.

"It was quite a deflating start to the week."

Since the incident, Hawken said the community had rallied and donated money to cover the losses.

"The messages of support that we have had in the last 24 hours alone has been really emboldening and gives us that warm feeling," he said.

"We've had a lot of support from businesses, from our local authority, but also from people that love the museum being there and are proud of Grantham.

"People have actually stepped forward, which is really a beautiful thing to experience."

The museum is closed from Monday to Wednesday every week but is expected to open as usual on Thursday.

Anyone with any information about the incident has been urged to contact Lincolnshire Police.

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