Thieves steal children's bouncy castle days before fete

Honeybuns Nursery on Walsall Road had its outdoor play area broken in to last week, with the thieves stealing its custom-made bouncy castle. It meant children went without the inflatable during their summer fayre on Saturday.

Alison Shipton, director of care at the nursery, said: "It is quite spiteful to come and steal it, it put a real dampener on the the fun day to be honest and left the children devastated.

"The castle is quite unique, it was made for the nursery in our logo colours and it has 'Honeybuns Nursery' printed on.

"It is extremely heavy and would have taken more than one person to carry or lift."

A post by the nursery group on Facebook, asking families to share the details of the theft, has now been shared by more than 600 people and seen by more than 51,000.

The post was seen by Hednesford-based Roxie's Bouncy Castles, which offered a replacement.

"Roxie's Bouncy Castles really saved the day by donating us a castle for free, it wouldn't have been the same without it," Alison added.

"We have had a really good response, everybody has been really supportive.

"We had a really good turnout, I think a lot of people saw what had happened on Facebook and all the parents came out to show their support.

"The sun was out too, which makes all the difference, so it was a fun day in the end."

Honeybuns is registered for 46 children. It also has other sites in Stafford and Telford.

Staffordshire Police have been informed of the theft. Anyone with information should call 101.