Mum devastated as charity base destroyed in arson

Toni Mathieson was inspired to lead the charity after losing three of her children to the disease Niemann-Pick

A mother who leads a charity for rare diseases in memory of her three children has described the destruction of its office in an arson attack as "devastating".

Toni Mathieson said everything turned to ash after a deliberate fire ripped through the base of Niemann-Pick UK (NPUK) in Vermont House, Washington, on 10 September.

The charity has been offered a free temporary base in Sunderland, although family records have been destroyed and a 24/7 helpline for families has been cut off.

Joshua Oliver, 28, admitted starting the blaze which also caused major damage to the constituency office of Labour MP Sharon Hodgson and an NHS site nearby.

"When we heard everything was gone, [it was] shock and horror," chief executive Ms Mathieson told the BBC.

The team hoped some things could be salvaged, but it emerged nothing of their office was left

The charity, which had spent 13 years at the site, had amassed hundreds of toys which were due to be gifted this Christmas to children affected by Neimann-Pick, an often fatal disease affecting children and some adults.

Those, along with vital resources for families and medical professionals dealing with the disease and hand-drawn pictures from children who had died, were lost.

"Many of the people we've supported have passed away," Ms Mathieson said.

"We had lots of things very special to us and it was not just a run of the mill office."

Toni and her team provide 24/7 support to families dealing with the disease

She admitted the team had hoped some things could be salvaged as she watched the office go up in flames, however nothing has been saved.

It is thought the cost to the charity could exceed more than £100,000.

"We just couldn't believe that this could happen and someone could cause such destruction senselessly."

Ms Mathieson, from Sunderland, joined the charity in 2003, later going on to lead it after daughter Lucy died aged four, while Hannah and her son Sam died from the disease within a few weeks of being born.

"Everything I do is in their memory," she said.

The charity is currently working out of an office in Sunderland which has been gifted to them for a month and has helped them to restore some service.

She added that while this is a "huge disaster for us", they were determined to recover and they would "always be here to support families in need".