By Lisa Ramsden
The head of a Newcastle charity has thanked the community for its “united front” following the latest in a series of “devastating” break-ins at its base. Ark Community Gardens’ director, Joanna McCall, said the support and compassion shown has helped the team through “a pretty dark few weeks.”
Last Wednesday, the Carrigs Road site was targeted for the sixth time in just four weeks, with police making an arrest two days later. Officers subsequently released the 30-year-old man – who they have confirmed they suspect was also involved in “a number” of similar incidents which took place in the Carrigs Road area over recent weeks – to allow them to make further enquiries.
Joanna said the team at The Ark, and their legions of supporters, are annoyed they have been repeatedly targeted. On two of these occasions, money was stolen. And the repairs for the second-last attack, which occurred on 23 November, during which a large glass door was smashed through, have still to be paid for. This same door was smashed through in the most recent break-in – leaving the charity further out of pocket.
But, as Joanna explained, as the repair bill grew, so too did people’s kindness. Several large donations were made to help repair the damage. “No-one would ever want to be in this position, we are a charity striving to do good in the community and these incidents feel, in one way or another, like an attack on us. It’s been hard for some of our volunteers, especially those with complex needs, not to take it personally,” she admitted.
“As soon as word has got out about what has happened, people have been ever so kind and supportive and that has been so appreciated. The sense of community really came to the fore.” Joanna added that the compassion shown has been “truly appreciated” and “very heartwarming.”
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