A BARBER who twice had charity collection boxes for Bolton Mountain Rescue Team stolen by shameless thieves has become the group's newest full-time member.

Gary Melia, who runs The Barber Shop in Deansgate, suffered the thefts in August 2013 and April last year, with around £100 in donations stolen.

The 43-year-old, who lives in Westhoughton, has since been inspired to become more heavily involved with the team and last month completed a 12-month trainee programme.

He said: "I’ve been involved for a couple of years now after my wife and I decided we wanted to support some local charities.

“The mountain rescue team was something I was passionate about straight away because we are keen hill walkers.

“We still have the collection boxes going, and the one good thing about the burglaries is that people are now more aware of them and it has become a big topic of conversation.

“Ever since they were first stolen, every time I empty them the amount we’ve collected has gone up and I think a lot more of our customers in Radcliffe are now aware that the mountain rescue team covers them too.”