Arsonists broke into a popular community theatre and started a fire which caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Police are investigating the deliberate blaze at The Little Theatre in Birkenhead, which was started at 4.30am on Saturday.
Those responsible forced entry via a back door and torched the theatre's prop room, where many items of sentimental and irreplaceable value were stored.
The flames also caused damage to an adjoining corridor.
The arsonist then used a fire extinguisher to throw at the front window, which was shattered and through which the criminal jumped through to reach Grange Road West and escape.
Two fire crews were called to the scene, along with police, after a neighbour who smelled smoke and heard the alarm rang 999.
The blaze was confined mainly to the prop room, but firefighters have said if they were alerted 30 minutes later the whole building could have been affected.
The Little Theatre, a former Presbyterian church, was taken over by amateur dramatics group The Carlton Players in the early 1950s.
An online fundraising campaign is now underway to help the theatre recover any losses they will incur and although it had an initial target of £500, it has already reached £3,000 in the last 24 hours.
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Julie Breckon, the theatre's trust chairwoman, told the ECHO: "The Little Theatre is an important part of the community, everyone in Birkenhead knows we're there.
"I'm devastated and it's all still quite emotional for us.
"We're thankful there wasn't more damage and that nobody was hurt.
"Everybody puts their heart and soul into the theatre, it's run entirely by volunteers who do it for the love of theatre so to have it tarnished in this way is heartbreaking.
"The people who have come forward with donations have been so generous, we've been overwhelmed by the response.
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"It's made it a little easier to know we are not in this alone."
Many props have been donated by members, or people in the community, and have been left ruined while paintings in the corridor also are beyond saving.
The auditorium itself is unscathed, although smelling of smoke.
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