A thief has stolen a charity box raising funds for veterans outside a beloved Christmas lights display. The charity box – which was estimated to contain hundreds of pounds in coins – at Richard Iles’ display in Winterbourne Down was stolen on Sunday evening.
The collection was intended to support the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, an organisation that supports veterans from all conflicts but is probably best known for supporting those from the Second World War. Richard, who has been lighting up his family home on Church Road with an elaborate Christmas display for the past six years, said: “As everybody knows, we’ve gone all out this year to create a magical Christmas display for everybody to enjoy.
“We’ve spent a lot of our own money to do this for such a great charity, but I hate to say that some low life has taken our charity box which was probably full of money donated from families coming to enjoy the display.”
He added: “I’m always one to help people out where I can, but this has really annoyed me. I’ll be looking at Ring doorbells from neighbours. I hate to put a downer on things, but to be honest, things like this cannot happen. We’re raising money for the Taxi Charity For Military Veterans. For the World War Two veterans who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. I’m lost for words. As a family, we’ll contribute to make up the difference, but it really does make me wonder what a world we live in.”
The festive display, which features more than 150,000 dazzling lights, is a highly anticipated community event. This year’s display is the biggest and brightest yet, drawing families from across the area.
Richard’s decision to support the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was inspired by his own visits to Normandy for the annual D-Day commemorations. Following the theft, the community quickly rallied around offering support and donations.
Richard added: “We’re overwhelmed by the response we’ve had from friends, family, social media, and businesses in the local area after the theft of our Taxi Charity For Military Veterans charity bucket. We put on the display every year as we love to see people enjoying themselves and smiling as well as raising money for great charities.
“We’ve had such lovely messages from people and I’m sorry if I’ve not responded to everybody, but we do really appreciate each and every one. We’d like to thank you all for your support.”
The vice chairman of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, Paul Cook, also voiced his appreciation for Iles’ ongoing support, saying: “As a small niche charity that is wholly reliant on donations, we are incredibly grateful to Rich for choosing to support the Taxi Charity this year. We were appalled to hear that the box had been stolen but so incredibly grateful to see the community rally to offer donations to cover the loss.”
Despite the setback, the Christmas lights at 58 Church Road remain will continue to shine 24 hours a day until Twelfth Night.
Donations to the Christmas Lights fundraiser can still be made online via JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/page/richard-iles-1731781346558.
To learn more about the Taxi Charity and its work for military veterans, visit www.taxicharity.org.