Leeds Baby Bank fundraiser hits over £24k after burglary leaves charity in ‘chaos’

A Leeds charity has been left in ‘chaos’ after heartless thieves broke into its headquarters and stole laptops, phones and iPads.

Leeds Baby Bank supports children and families living in poverty across Leeds by providing baby essentials, such as nappies and formula, to buggies, toys and clothes.

The charity has raised almost £25k through a GoFundMe campaign launched after the break-in on Friday, with the money set to help replace stolen equipment, improve security and provide essential items for families.

The charity provides equipment for families who need support, but the burglary has left its team facing a backlog of work, with around 100 families already waiting for items.

Jackie Appleton, unit manager at Leeds Baby Bank, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “This is going to completely push us back for the next few weeks.”

She said the charity was also having to work through referrals while trying to get its systems back online.

“Some ladies are very close to their due dates and, at the moment, we’re having to log everything back in because all the iPads and equipment were taken,” she said.

“Everything this morning has just been a bit chaotic.”

Sarah Cohen, unit manager at Leeds Baby Bank described the horror of arriving at the building at 7.30am on Friday morning.

She told the YEP: “I could see the blind was moving in and out of the front window, and that’s how I knew it had been smashed in.”

She said internal doors fitted with key-code security had been battered in so the thieves could reach the back of the building.

After calling 999 because she didn’t know whether anyone was still inside, she entered with a trustee and discovered the extent of the damage.

“Doors were off the hinges, and they’d completely messed up our paperwork,” she said.

The charity’s community room was also affected, with toys having to be thrown away due to the broken glass being everywhere.

The theft of its technology meant referrals could not be processed on Friday, while staff had no phones to contact families, and volunteers were unable to carry out their usual work.

Sarah said it almost took a full day to reset passwords, with the team now trying to manage the workload using the limited equipment left.

However, she said the public response to the GoFundMe page had been overwhelming.

She said: “Every time I watch it go up and up, I get goose pimples. We’re just short of 25 grand now in just one weekend, it’s incredible isn’t it?

“We love and appreciate the people of Leeds for helping us through this tough time.”

The money raised will allow the charity to replace its stolen equipment and improve security to help prevent another break-in.

Sarah said she hoped any money left over could go towards essentials for families, including prams, Moses baskets and toiletries for babies and mothers.

These could also include maternity pads and nipple pads, which she described as important items for mothers after giving birth.

The team is now working to catch up on referrals received over the weekend while continuing to process new requests.

Sarah added: “We’re going to be like hamsters going around in a wheel for the next few weeks.”

Despite the disruption, the charity said its community events this week, including its maternity drop-in and Wednesday’s Stay and Play session, would continue as planned.

In a statement, a spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: “Police are investigating after a report of a burglary at a business on Wellington Road, Leeds.

“The burglary is reported to have happened sometime on 15 October. Enquiries are ongoing.

“Anyone with information or who witnesses anything suspicious is asked to contact police via 101 or using the Live Chat options at www.westyorkshire.police.uk/livechat quoting reference 13260589249”