The small charity which runs a nursery for autistic children said it ‘simply does not have the funds’ to replace the stolen items or damage caused during the robbery
A small charity which supports children and families affected by autism said it has been left “devastated” after a burglary at their nursery. An intruder broke into ASD Rainbows in Mountain Ash on Saturday afternoon by creating a hole in the wall of the nursery before making off with iPads and cash.
Joanne Morris, co-founder of ASD Rainbows, said the charity is concerned that they were deliberately targeted by someone local as all of the windows and doors on the nursery are covered by shutters, with the intruder breaking directly into the office in broad daylight, shortly before 1pm.
Although a break-in would be upsetting for any small charity, ASD Rainbows said it had been hit particularly hard because of how important the iPads and cash is for what they do.
The cash the intruder found was parents’ fees for ASD Rainbow’s upcoming Christmas trip, and the iPads are used by some of the children to communicate.
“Whoever stole the iPads have stolen the children’s voices and their ability to communicate,” Ms Morris said.
The charity was made aware of the burglary on Sunday after the cleaner contacted Joanne to tell her about the damage.
“It was devastating,” she said. “To break in is one thing but how they entered is unbelievable.” For the biggest stories in Wales first, sign up to our daily newsletter here
“As a small we simply do not have the funds to replace the stolen items and the damage to the building. We rely on grants and fundraising to provide our services to neurodivergent children and their families.”
South Wales Police is investigating the break-in which is believed to have occurred between 12.20pm and 12.50pm on Saturday, December 6. The force has appealed for anyone with information to come forward after the upsetting incident.
The charity, which was set up in 2017, supports over 100 children and their families with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from all across south Wales.
Ms Morris said they had been “overwhelmed” with the support they have received from the local community following the robbery.
A GoFundMe page has already raised £5,500 in just under 24 hours to help the charity replace the stolen iPads and damage done to the nursery. “It’s really heartwarming to see how much everybody is pulling together to try and support us,” Ms Morris said.
Officers have reviewed CCTV and released an imagine of a man they would like to speak to as he was in Perthcethlyn at the time of the break-in. South Wales Police is asking for the man or anyone who recognises them to get in touch.
A statement from South Wales Police said: “We received a report yesterday morning, Sunday, December 7, of a break-in at ASD Rainbows in Perthcelyn.
“The man was seen in the area around the time of the burglary and may hold vital information that could help with our inquiries.
“If you recognise the person in the picture, or you are the man in the image, could you please get in touch to assist with our inquiries quoting 2500387625.”
You can contact the police force via its live chat platform by clicking here or via an online form by clicking here. You can also call 101. Alternatively information can also be given via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or its online form by clicking here.
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