Vandals target volunteer's car while she helps neighbours

  • Central

A volunteer helping her community through the coronavirus crisis hadall four tyres on her car slashed while helping neighbours.

Helen Crouch, who has been delivering meals, prescriptions andgroceries to people in coronavirus isolation in three Leicestershirevillages, wept when she realised her car had been damaged.

Helen’s VW Touareg was damaged on Main Street in Thornton sometimebetween about 7pm on Saturday and 9am on Sunday.

The 41-year-old single mum, who set up the Bagworth and ThorntonCoronavirus Community Response Team earlier this month, said: “I am astrong person but I just stood there and cried.

She added: “My car broke down on Saturday so I had to leave it there. I had just delivered a shepherd’s pie to an old person in the village.

“I called a friend and told him about my car breaking down. He said Icould borrow his van to carry on my rounds as I had other food todeliver.”

Helen, who has visited more than 100 people in the 12 days since sheset up the volunteer group, worked until the evening on Saturday thenwent out the next morning.

Helen’s VW Touareg was damaged on Main Street in Thornton sometime between about 7pm on Saturday and 9am on Sunday. Credit: BPM

A distraught Helen, a self-employed interior designer who is nowjobless, filmed the damage to her tyres and can be heard describing heemotional reaction the vandalism.

Shortly after the video was posted online, Thornton resident MattGoddard set up a Gofundme appeal to pay for Helen’s tyres to bereplaced. He set a target of £500 which was achieved within two hours.

Matt, who is in a 14-day isolation at home with his wife and child, isa firefighter with the Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service based atLutterworth.

Helen said: “I can’t thank the people enough. It is very humbling toknow that, in these tough times, people have actually donated money tohelp me out.

“A horrible thing has happened but this just shows that the vastmajority of people are good.

“I want the person who slashed my tyres to know that I won’t bediscouraged or beaten. They won’t win – together the whole communitywill win.”

Helen, who has visited more than 100 people in the 12 days since she set up the volunteer group, worked until the evening on Saturday then went out the next morning. Credit: BPM

Leicestershire Police is investigating the tyre slashing. A force spokesperson said: “We have had a report of damage to a vehicle parked in Main Street, Thornton. This is believed to have happened between about 7pm on March 28 and 9am the next day.>“We would ask anyone who knows anything about the incident to call us.”