The founder of a charity which has been targeted by vandals says she’d like to show the culprits round a cancer ward to make them understand what they’ve done.

Dawn Cockburn was speaking after damage was done to the Harmony Therapy Trust’s base in Victoria Street, Sheerness, three weeks in a row.

First, vandals used a piece of concrete to smash the handle off a wooden gate and a week later, smashed the plastic front of a notice board out the front.
They then returned the following week and completely ripped the front of the notice board off.

The charity, which has helped more than 100 people with cancer and other serious illnesses around Kent by providing therapies and treatments, was also targeted in August last year when plants and flowers were stolen from the community garden.

Mrs Cockburn says the damage which has been done this time is an insult to chairman Dave Hake, who had made the gate himself and has done a lot of work in the garden.

The first incident happened about 5pm on Friday, March 8, and then at around the same time the next two Fridays, and Mrs Cockburn is convinced it is bored youths who are waiting until staff go home.

The 63-year-old, from Minster, said: “It must be kids with nothing better to do.

“What I can’t understand is the mentality of the children and where they get it from.

“I feel so angry and it’s hurtful – it’s mindless, useless vandalism against a charity trying to help the community.

“Dave has done so much and it’s an insult to his skills and talent.

“This is a charity that is so needed in this area and I would like to take these children round a cancer ward or hospice to show them what we do and give them an idea of why we are doing what we do.”

• Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to contact police, quoting crime reference XY/9262/13.