Alice House Hospice charity shop in County Durham hit by vandalism after previous fire and break ins

By Mark Payne
Published 7th Nov 2023, 12:15 BST
Updated 7th Nov 2023, 12:15 BST
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Staff at a charity shop were left devastated when one of their front windows was shattered by suspected vandals.

Claire Taylor, manager of the Alice House Hospice shop in Horden, arrived at work last Wednesday morning to discover the damage.

A large front window pane was smashed and unsafe.

It caused the shop, in Blackhills Road, to be closed for half a day while it was boarded up and later repaired.

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Claire Taylor (manager) outside of the Blackhills Road Hospice in Horden. Picture by FRANK REIDClaire Taylor (manager) outside of the Blackhills Road Hospice in Horden. Picture by FRANK REID
Claire Taylor (manager) outside of the Blackhills Road Hospice in Horden. Picture by FRANK REID

Claire said: “It was devastating. I was in shock when I came to open up.

"We lost half a day’s takings. It’s terrible because all the money goes to the hospice.”

A rubber brick of the type used in construction was found on the ground.

A neighbour reported hearing a massive bang at around 11.45pm the previous night.

The broken window at the Alice House Hospice shop in Horden.The broken window at the Alice House Hospice shop in Horden.
The broken window at the Alice House Hospice shop in Horden.

The incident was reported to police.

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Fortunately, the window did not break into the shop or street, and nobody entered the shop or took anything.

But Karen Witherley, Alice House senior retail manager, said the damage and loss of takings is expected to have cost it around £1,500.

The shop raises thousands of pounds a year for the hospice based in Hartlepool.

It previously suffered a serious fire in 2017 causing it to close for many months.

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Then just months after reopening, it suffered another setback when it was broken into in March 2019.

Anyone who wants to support the shop, which also has a pre-loved bridal and prom shop, can drop off items during opening hours of 9am-4pm Monday to Saturday.