'It's devastating, we were serving the community'

YOUTH CLUB VOLUNTEERS 'HEARTBROKEN' AFTER VANDALS DESTROY JUMBLE STOCK

- By EMILY CARUBIA

Jumble sale items at Lighthouse have been destroyed

VOLUNTEERS at a local youth club are “heartbroken” after two break-ins within the span of a week, causing extensive damage and threatening the future of the much-needed community service.

The Lighthouse Youth Club, run by a dedicated team of eight volunteers alongside church youth workers Denise Edwards and her husband, supports children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The club hosts weekly jumble sales at Charing Cross Methodist Church - also known as Church @ The Cross Birkenhead - with all proceeds funding equipment and activities such as bouncy castles, computers and crafts for the youth group.

The club has served the community for over 40 years.

But on Sunday morning, October 5, Merseyside Police received a report of criminal damage and forced entry at the church on Whitfield Street.

Volunteers spent the following Saturday clearing and preparing the space to reopen, only to discover further vandalism the next day.