Heartless thieves wrecked a primary school garden by swiping outdoor furniture paid for by children's fundraising.
Staff at St James' CE Primary School, in Hillside Avenue, Farnworth, came to work on Tuesday morning to find that somebody had stolen a rattan table, chairs and a sofa from their recently created Reading Garden.
The area had been set up by the "eco-team" - a group of children and parents who have tried to improve the school building - and it was paid for by their own fundraising efforts.
"Some time over the weekend the garden furniture has all been stolen," explained school principal Lisa Belfield.
"It's things that parents and children have fundraised for.
When you think about the fact that the money was raised by our students and for it to be taken like that, especially under the current circumstances, is extremely unpleasant."
Teachers at St James' are still working hard during the coronavirus lockdown to look after the children of other key workers.
And, the garden had become a popular spot for teachers to take a break during the day.
Mrs Belfield said: "We're doing our best for the community with everything that's going on and our staff were using that space to relax in the sun when they have a minute for a break. Now that's been taken away from them."
"So now our key workers have lost the opportunity to relax in that space."
The principal believes the furniture was likely taken by someone who was planning to use it for themselves during the current spell of good weather.
She is hoping that the people responsible will see her appeal and return the lost items or that the school can raise enough money to replace them.
"Obviously, someone's seen it on our Facebook page and decided with the current good weather that they would like to have it," she added.
"Hopefully we can raise some more money to get these things back but that's not the point. It shouldn't have been taken in the first place."
