A West Lothian children’s charity whose minibus was stolen and set on fire has issued a heartfelt thanks to supporters who raised money to buy a new one.
We reported last month how Simply Play was devastated after the vehicle was stolen and stripped for parts, meaning the charity had to shell out money to hire a bus to transport kids around West Lothian.
The charity set-up a funding page and said it was “overwhelmed” by the response from locals.
And it was delighted to unveil a brand new bus this week.
In a letter to supporters, CEO Raymond Branton said: “We were all devastated when our minibus was stolen, stripped and burnt out by heartless thieves three weeks ago.
“I have to say though that we have been totally overwhelmed by everyone’s responses. All of your messages of support (and anger) have given us strength and shown us how much you all value our services.
“Your generosity has also been a testament to the strength of feeling, support and value from you all. I am therefore delighted to confirm that, with your help, we have achieved our fundraising target. Your donations all added up to just over the £4000 targeted. This was added to by kind donations from Witherby Publishing Group, the Provisional Grand Lodge of Linlithgowshire, Lodge Buchanan St. John, and Ye Corporation of Squaremen.
“We have now settled with our insurer and this settlement, along with all of the donations received, has enabled us to buy a replacement bus, which is already in operation transporting our children.
“We would also like to thank Stuart Firth from Firth Electrical Company in Bathgate, who has offered to cover the cost of our new bus’ signage.
“On behalf of all of the children, parents, staff and trustees at Simply Play I would like to thank everyone for your support through this difficult time. We could not have got there without you, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
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