An ‘irreplaceable’ campervan built by a recovering cancer survivor was stolen from a 'shocked' young couple’s front drive. Helen Gradwell and Tom Dutson were sleeping at home in Halifax Road, Littleborough when thieves took their campervan in the early hours of September 2.
Having handcrafted the majority of the interior during the coronavirus lockdown - after recovering from cancer two years ago - Tom, 29, was looking forward to spending his 30th birthday next month holidaying in the van. Helen is desperate to get the van returned to them because she believes they will never have the free time to recreate this personal van.
“It was a big shock, it is like having your car and your house stolen at the same time,” the 32-year-old said.
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“My husband got home from work at around 10.30pm (September 1) and it was still on the drive. I came out in the morning and it was just gone.
“We thought the garage over the road may have come to get it or something. I just couldn’t believe it.
“From the outside it just looks like most vans. So we are confused as to whether it is a van theft or a campervan theft.”
The creative writer explained that after undergoing three rounds of chemotherapy, her husband of three months was told to shield during lockdown so he was protected from Covid-19, which meant he had a lot of free time. They had some money set aside and the campervan lifestyle was something they both “liked the idea of”.
The project took months of full-days during the pandemic. But after the work was complete, the pair were delighted with the potential the van offered them.
“We are never going to get that time back,” she continued. “If we wanted to rebuild it that would not be possible because of the lack of free time we have.
“It is insured but even if we had enough to buy another it would not be the same as it was something Tom built. It is not just our future holidays we have lost either, we had plans to go away in October for Tom’s 30th.
“I just don’t like the idea that it has been sold and used by someone else. We just hope that it is intact and is found.”
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident and the Rochdale couple have been spreading the word on social media to try and track the campervan down. The van registration plate is YS65 WWC. They have been ‘blown away’ by the response they have gotten and have received a few potential sightings in Hyde and Dukinfield.
However, these are not confirmed to be the actual vehicle - which has a motif of three mountaintops with a sun rising above them on the side. They are still searching for anyone in the area that may have CCTV footage of the van driving off in the early hours of Friday morning.
Having not used the van as much as they would’ve liked since it was built due to lockdown measures, the couple want to travel further afield than Snowdonia or the Lake District to destinations abroad.
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