Charity overwhelmed by gifts and donations after break-in

A charity which lost thousands of pounds worth of toys and clothes in a break-in is "overwhelmed" after being deluged with donations and gifts.

Thieves took about £2,000 worth of new and used items intended for struggling families over Christmas from a storage unit at Meriden Adventure Playground.

Since then, the Chelmsley Wood charity said shops including John Lewis and The Works had sent replacement toys.

An online appeal has raised £4,000 - with one woman donating £2,000.

The charity said it had also had volunteers offering to carry out repairs and had more than replaced everything that was lost.

Originally, the swap shop it set up was intended to offer families discount price Christmas presents, but now they are able to give them away for free.

The charity has also had an offer of new CCTV from the Heart of England Foundation and roofers have repaired the roof for free.

Mark Wood, the local resident who set up the online fundraising page, said he grew up in Chelmsley Wood and was proud of the community spirit there.

He said he never expected the appeal to raise so much money and revealed it also received a £2,000 donation from a lady in Henley-in-Arden who got in touch to say she had been upset by the story and wanted to help out.