The team behind the Brickmakers’ Wood project in Ipswich say they have been ‘blown away’ by the support they have received after vandals struck last week causing thousands of pounds of damage.
A fundraising appeal was soon set up after Rob and Jo Brooks, who run the project, discovered on Friday that the site at Alexandra Park had been ‘demolished’.
However, in less than a week more than £8,500 has been raised to provide more secure fencing and CCTV to protect the project from further harm.
Ms Brooks said: “It is just amazing how generous people have been.
“These are just every day people who are using their hard earned money to help us.
“Every penny donated means the absolute world to us.
“To be honest, I have been in tears looking at all the destruction.
“It is the children that have built the project, they have built the workshop, the fencing.
“To have that smashed up and to see their hard work destroyed brought me to tears.
“But I have also been in tears because I am so amazed, but not surprised, by the generosity of the people and companies in Ipswich.
“There are tears of joy as well as tears of anger and sadness now.”
The project provides a tranquil space for cancer patients, people with physical or mental health problems as well as offering skills workshops for children.
This was the third time the project has been struck by vandals in the last few months.
Among the fundraising donations is £5,000 gift from renewable energy company Haven Power.
Liam Makinder, from Haven, said: “We do a lot of volunteer work for the project each month so we have close ties with them.
“They are also our charity of the year.
“On top of that, once we heard it had been broken into and vandalised we quickly decided we wanted to help get them back on their feet.”
Ms Brooks said: “The £5,000 donation is incredible.
“We have also had anonymous donations of £1,000 and £500 which is just amazing.
“We have all been completely blown away with the generosity we have seen.”
To donate to the fundraising campaign see here.
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