'We were in tears': Wiltshire nursery fundraising after minibus burnt out

A nursery in Wiltshire has started fundraising to protect the site after one of their minibuses was stolen and set on fire.

Sunflowers at Grafton, in the village of East Grafton, is hoping to raise £7,500 to pay for better security measures.

The minibus was taken from the nursery on Tuesday 5 September. One day later, it was found burnt out and minus its engine.

Sue England, business manager at Sunflowers at Grafton, said she couldn't believe someone would steal a minibus from a nursery.

"It's shocking that someone would take a minibus, what is so clearly a children's minibus, from a nursery," she said.

"It was dreadful. Absolutely dreadful. There were many times after the theft that we were just in tears."

Sunflowers at Grafton is a non-profit charity that works with more than 150 families.

They rely on minibuses to provide breakfast and after-school clubs for local primary school children.

Dial-a-ride, a community transport organisation in Swindon, has lent them a replacement minibus for the next couple of months - without this, the charity would've been unable to keep providing wrap-around care services.

"We wanted to try and keep disruption to a minimum for families, both for the children and for the parents," Ms England said.

"We found ourselves having to fill a few gaps to keep our service going. We've had some super support."

The charity has now set up a fundraiser to improve security measures at the site.

Ms England said: "We want to open up the area where the minibuses are parked by reducing the height of the hedges, and also want to replace the gates with something a bit more sturdy."

"The fundraising is very necessary as we don't have the money in our budget.

"We're aiming to raise £7,500 to improve our security which is an awful thing for a nursery to be fundraising for. Usually, when we fundraise it's for something really fabulous."