Stoke Pride organisers have announced that their caravan has been broken into, vandalised, and stolen from.
The caravan, which was being held in a storage facility at the time, has had its skylights ripped off, windows smashed, and contents damaged and stolen. Several items from the caravan were taken and discarded around the car park.
The vandalism has cost the charity around £2,500. The charity’s chairman, Carl Gratty, has set up a fundraiser to cover the costs.
Gratty stated: “It’s quite devastating. We’re a charity and everything is donated.”
However, Gratty does not believe this to have been a hate crime, but rather a random attack. There are no Pride-related markings on the caravan, or anything else to indicate that the vehicle has anything to do with Pride.
In a Facebook post, the charity stated that they were “heartbroken at this senseless vandalism”.
Staffordshire Police are investigating the incident and are currently reviewing CCTV footage captured.
The charity is now seeking alternative storage space for their new caravan.
Experienced writer and journalist James McKean leads the daily editorial output at StaffsLive. To contact him, email news@staffslive.co.uk
