Okehampton Men in Sheds have expressed their gratitude for the community’s support following the theft of more than £500 worth of items from one of their sheds.

Five drills, a broken electric chainsaw and a large brass bell were taken from the Men in Sheds building at the Okehampton Community Garden after thieves broke the locks on Wednesday, October 22.

OCRA, which runs the Parkrun in Okehampton, had given the bell to the Men in Sheds only a few days beforehand ready for them to solder onto a stand ready for its use to announce the beginning of the weekly run.

Phil Bush, of Okehampton Men in Sheds discovered the break-in, said: “It has left a bitter taste in all of our mouths but we are not going to be put off by this incident. The break-in has been very frustrating but we appreciate how kind the people of Okehampton have been.”

After hearing the news about the break in, Okehampton Computers announced they would donate a CCTV system to deter future break-ins.

Phil explained that other areas of the community garden suffered from vandalism on the same night.

In a social media post, Okehampton Community Garden said: “We’re deeply saddened to share that our community garden was broken into on Wednesday night. Some items and a small amount of money were stolen. While this news is disheartening, it will not stop us from continuing the good work we do together.”

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “We were made aware following a break-in at Men in Sheds in Okehampton overnight between October 22 and 23. It was reported several items were stolen. At this time, there are no viable lines of enquiry however if further evidence comes to light the incident can be re-visited.”

So far the Okehampton Men in Sheds have raised £60 out of their fundraising goal of £250 to replace the stolen tools and items.

Or search ‘Replace stolen tools’ on Gofundme.com