A community champion was left “furious” after being notified that items donated to a Ramsbottom animal rescue had gone missing from a supermarket drop-off point.
Claire Berry works at Tesco on King Street, where she encourages residents and shoppers to support local groups and charities.
This month, she was raising awareness of Ramsbottom Hedgehog Care and Rehabilitation, a volunteer group dedicated to rescuing, treating and releasing sick, injured or underweight wild hedgehogs around the Bury area.
The rescue, managed by husband-and-wife duo Steph and Terry Malpas, relies solely on public donations and has a collection point in the supermarket where people can drop off supplies for the animals.
Steph received a text from a donor sharing that he had left tins of cat food at the hub; however, when she went to collect them, there were no tins there.
Steph said: “Our rescue is just me, my husband and the hedgehogs.
“We are a small rescue that we fund primarily from our own pockets and public donations, which is why we rely on these donations.”
Claire added: “When I was made aware that donations were going missing, I was furious.
“What Steph and Terry do is amazing and the local community supports them so much - they rely on those donations from our very kind customers.
“Since taking over as community champion in our store in January, I’ve visited the local charities and causes that we support to try to push awareness on our social media page and through our monthly newsletter.
“This was to try to increase the support and kind donations, so when it was brought to my attention that donations were going missing, I was so disappointed.
“Unfortunately, it’s a very small minority that spoils it for the community.
"I have made all the staff aware of what has happened and I have moved the donation boxes in store to a different location which is easier to spot.”
You can find out more about the work Ramsbottom Hedgehog Care and Rehabilitation does via their social media pages.
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