Children's hospice charity shop forced to close after being 'ransacked' by vandals – but nothing was taken

Yobs had smashed up displays, strewn rubbish on the floor and wrecked the WiFi hub.

However, despite the damage, which forced staff to close for a day, the vandals stole nothing.

Sarah Platts, from Acorns, said: "What a society we live in. I came into work to find we have been broken into. I cannot believe anyone would target a shop which raises funds for life-threatened and life-limited children and their families.

"This will cost our charity thousands."

She added: "Absolutely nothing is gone. It was just ransacked. But we have lost a day's trading because of it and we will have to pay for repairs."

When the Express & Star visited the shop it was back trading but the ramifications of the break-in were still being felt.

A volunteer, who did not want to be named, said: "They broke our WiFi so we cannot take card payments at all which is costing us money."

West Midlands Police has been contacted for comment.

"And shutting the shop for a day to clean up also stopped us raising money for our charity."

Acorns Children’s Hospices offer a network of specialist palliative nursing care and support for local children and their families. The charity provides care in hospices, community and at home. The charity runs short breaks for children at our hospices, therapeutic and psychosocial support, support for siblings and other family members, emergency and end of life care and bereavement support.

The care is tailored for each individual child and designed to meet all their clinical, emotional, cultural and spiritual needs. In the past year, the charity has supported over 750 children and nearly 1,000 families across the West Midlands, including those who have been bereaved.