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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Abbie Wightwick

Thieves steal thousands of pounds worth of watersports kit from special school

Thieves have stolen thousands of pounds worth of watersports equipment from a school for children and teenagers with special needs.

Surfboards, paddleboards, wetsuits and other equipment was stolen from Ysgol y Deri in Penarth.

The school runs water activities to help pupils build confidence and had bought the kit with donations and through fundraising.

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Pictured are pupils using some of the surf , paddleboards and wetsuits stolen by thieves at the weekend (Ysgol y Deri)

Staff said water activity lessons help pupils build confidence and skills.

Headteacher Chris Britain said the thieves had broken in through a fence.

"It's pretty low. It's awful. To steal is bad enough but to steal from these children, any children, is shocking.

"They took it out through a fence in the lane so they must have parked a van there and just gone back and forth with the boards and other equipment.

"We have had loads of people offering to donate replacements after they heard about it."

A pupils at one of the school's paddle sessions before the theft (Ysgol y Deri)

Dan Willmore, who runs watersports activities and is part of the school's intervention team, raised most of the cash for the kit on a sponsored paddleboard from Mumbles to Cardiff.

"It is disheartening. We fight for the things we have and work hard for them.

"What's going on in people's lives that they have to steal things like this?"

But he said offers of help and donations have been coming in all day, some from as far as watersports companies on the south coast of England.

"Porthcawl Surf School has said we can come down and use their equipment free and Llantwit Major Boobies have offered to raise some money.

"There are lots of positives in the negative."

Dan said a Christmas surf session had been planned for next week and they hope they can do that at Porthcawl.

Equipment stolen includes seven new paddleboards, three surfboards, 30 wet suits, buoyancy aids, dry robes and waterproofs.

The theft, which happened sometime between Saturday and Sunday morning, has been reported to South Wales Police.

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