Charity heartbroken by lead theft launches appeal

The lead theft caused huge damage to the inside of the building

A charity which supports vulnerable adults with disabilities has launched an appeal to fix ongoing damage caused by a "heart-breaking" lead theft.

Paul's Place, currently based in Coalpit Heath, South Gloucestershire, is refurbishing the former Shire Way Community Centre in Yate into a larger hub for its members.

In July, thieves stripped lead from the roof of the building which saw ceilings come down and the inside flooded.

The charity has spent £6,000 fixing the roof but needs more money to repair the interior, and is relying on donations and the generosity of local tradespeople.

Ceilings have come down inside the community centre

“Devastating and unnecessary acts like this delay our mission to enhance the lives of physically disabled adults,” the organisation said.

The charity provides social activities for adults with physical disabilities, reducing isolation, improving their health and wellbeing, and giving them a chance to develop new skills.

It is hoped the new hub will meet increasing demand for its services, with a community café, allotment, accessible gym and sensory room planned.

“We have a huge project on our hands to repurpose the existing building to be a fully accessible functional building for the physically disabled adults we support and the wider community,” the charity said.

It won a bid to purchase the Shire Way centre last May, but when the theft happened in July, the charity had not yet formally acquired the lease.

It wanted to carry out urgent repairs to prevent further damage and make it watertight, but said the damage has "set them back".

Urgent internal repairs

They said the roof and ceilings that fell down were the "only part of the building" that did not need any work.

“We had to act fast to ensure further damage wasn’t caused so have had to use existing funds to repair the roof, when that vital fundraising could have been spent elsewhere on the project," it continued.

“We now need to fund urgent internal repairs such as the electric wiring.”

The charity has set up a Just Giving Page which has so far raised more than £1,600.